Kismet
by MythicElf
Summary: Arch-Mage Aryvis Othren just got a new, HUGE house. And then joined the Dark Brotherhood. And then hit it off with Raminus Polus. How is he going to keep his Arch-Mage duties - and his boyfriend - out of his relationship with the Brotherhood? YAOI
1. Chapter 1

A/N: hey, guys! So I just downloaded the Frostcrag Spire DLC (I'm late, I know) and this idea just jumped into my brain. Ya know how the little portals can teleport you to any Mages' Guild branch, but there isn't one that can take you back? Imagine that there was one.

Who else thinks Raminus Polus is just the cutest little thing? X3

...

Raminus Polus was not one to be left in the dark.

Whenever he found himself pressed with an especially confounding subject of study he buried himself in the Mystic Archives (much to Tar-Meena's chagrin) until he found a sufficient answer to his questions. But he noted, with a small frown of disappointment, that he had absolutely no idea _whatsoever _as to why the Arch-Mage was pacing back and forth through the chamber, disappearing for ten minute intervals and returning every time with a bag over his shoulder, full on the leaving trips and empty on the returning ones.

Arch-Mage Aryvis was a mer who liked to stay in one place; only once had he ever taken all of his possessions somewhere at once, and that was when he had come over from Vvardenfell. It hadn't been much, anyway.

So of course it was odd to see him moving his things; at last the curiosity got the better of him and he reached out to grab the Dunmer's shoulder. "Arch-Mage, what are you _doing_?"

Aryvis sighed, letting his burden fall to the ground in favor of crossing his arms over his black-robed chest. "I told you not to call me that, Raminus."

Raminus rolled his eyes; the Arch-Mage was far too personable for the position he held. Not that it was a bad thing, exactly. "_Aryvis_, what are you doing?"

"Moving out," he answered simply, picking up his bag once again and moving to leave. Raminus would have none of that; he grabbed the mer's gloved hand before he could even take a step.

"You're moving out?"

"That's what I said," he answered calmly, putting his bag down on the table in anticipation of an entire conversation. "Is that a problem?"

"I suppose not, it's not like I could keep you here, but the Arch-Mage has always lived at the University."

Aryvis responded with a bright grin. "Why, Raminus, is it me or did you just sound a bit disappointed?"

Raminus felt heat bloom under the collar of his robe. He'd been harboring a bit of a crush on the Dunmer for quite a while now... It started when he returned from Wellspring Cave, burned and confused and exhausted. He was resistant to fire, yes, but that hadn't stopped the purplish marks from appearing on his navy skin through the singed holes in his robe.

Raminus hadn't really done anything, hadn't planned on it, anyway. In fact, he'd been asleep - Aryvis didn't return to the University until well into the night. But he heard the apprentice stumble into the living quarters, and with his tendency to sleep lighter than any other mage in the Guild, was the only one awake to heal him when he practically fell asleep on the Master-Wizard's chest.

That was when he took a rather... Special liking to Aryvis.

"No, I'm sure that was just you," Raminus managed, looking elsewhere in an attempt to breathe.

Aryvis hummed, a pensive sort of sound, and shouldered his pack once again. "Very well, I'll be back in a moment."

With that he left the room, and Raminus heard the soft buzz of a portal's activation. "Thank the Nine," he sighed, falling back onto the wooden bench.

...

Aryvis was not stupid.

He couldn't suppress the grin that found its way across his face, or the deep chuckle that accompanied it. It was a little uncalled for, perhaps even cruel to let Raminus pine for him, and he knew it, but it was just so much _fun_. He wouldn't make the Master-Wizard wait much longer... He just needed an opportunity.

So after putting all his things in various places about Frostcrag Spire he returned to the University to find Raminus sipping away at a glass of wine in that dignified way he seemed to do everything. "It's actually quite amazing," he said suddenly, breaking the quiet.

Raminus coughed and spluttered, dribbling the dark red liquid down his chin and the rims of the cup but not on his perfect blue robe. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"Frostcrag Spire," he answered distractedly, flipping through _A Less Rude Song. _"The place I'm moving into."

Raminus nodded and set to cleaning up his spilled wine, therefore not noticing when Aryvis got up from the stool opposite him and stole the cup. "You're coming to see it."

He didn't ask if Raminus _wanted _to see it (which he couldn't deny, he really did), he told him that he was _going _to, leaving no room for questions under his imperious red gaze. The Master-Wizard muttered his assent.

In that moment, Aryvis changed from authoritative Arch-Mage to cheering little girl. A bright, pleased grin spread white across his face. "Great! Come."

He wasn't even given a moment to get up of his own volition; Aryvis yanked him up by his arm and dragged him through the door to the glowing portal beside the purple fire at the base of the stairs leading out of the University.

"Aryvis, let me g... Oh, wow," Raminus was in the middle of a complaint when the familiar buzz of the portal went off, sending him instantaneously to the doorstep of a gigantic castle. He stood on a portal in a ring of them, and the magical circles gave off a purple glow in the shadow of the castle.

"Don't just stand there, come in," Aryvis said, taking a hold of the big ring and yanking it to open the door.

Raminus followed the Dunmer inside his castle, through the small bedroom that was fraught with hastily brought items that he'd simply dropped inside and left on the floor. "You're such a slob," he teased.

"My house, my mess." was the playful reply. "You're into alchemy, aren't you?"

"Yes, why?" as Raminus looked up, the question on his face soon turned into an expression of wonder when he saw the small garden. It was like a small patch of the Colovian Highlands inside; the plants grew tall in the sun shining down through the hole in the ceiling. Despite the biting cold outside, the interior of the castle was comfortably warm, but Raminus felt especially tepid as he went around the room to see the different types of flora in Aryvis' garden.

"I've got harrada and bloodgrass growing back here," the Arch-Mage explained, gesturing to the small patch of lava. "I'm planning to add an alchemy lab at some point, but I'm a bit short of the price set for it. Come, there's more to see."

Raminus was sad to leave that part of the house, because it was just so _cool_, but he let Aryvis take him away. They stepped on yet another portal and appeared in a gigantic altar room, with what looked like altars of spellmaking and enchanting, and a large cabinet of some sort.

"What is this?" he asked, walking up to it for closer inspection.

Aryvis smiled. "It's a surprise."

Raminus soon forgot about the strange altar in favor of rifling through the small library set into the corner of the room. Aryvis watched with slight amusement as the Master-Wizard buried his nose in some book he'd nearly broken his neck trying to retrieve; self-telekinesis, apparently, was hard to control. Raminus was a little adorable in his element, all wide, sparkly golden eyes and his nose shoved in one book after another.

As Raminus finally closed the book he had been lost in for the better part of an hour, he looked up at Aryvis and smiled. "This place is amazing."

"Very," the Dunmer agreed, "There's more to show you."

Raminus got up from his stool and followed Aryvis over to another portal, and they appeared in the Vault. Cold bit into the Master-Wizard's skin, but Aryvis seemed to be fine with it. He sat down on the cold stone and pursed his lips, making a sound somewhere between sucking his teeth and whistling, and one of his imps came over to play.

They spent hours in the Vault, playing with the six or seven Vault guardians just because they could. Sometime throughout the night Raminus cast frost spells around a crumpled ball of paper, creating a small ball of ice that they tossed around between the nine of them until one of the imps threw it into the wall, where it shattered, and Aryvis threw a low level shock spell at it. Dejected, the imp fluttered over behind a box to brood.

They ended up back in the library, sitting at the table with a bottle of cold wine (that's why he kept it in the Vault, he'd said) and a simple meal of a bread loaf and a shared cheese wheel.

"Are you going to continue being Arch-Mage?" Raminus asked carefully, fearing the answer would be no.

But Aryvis looked offended. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're leaving me at the University," he tried not to make it sound as personal as it was.

Aryvis' eyes flashed - an opportunity. "I'm not leaving you anywhere."

Raminus just looked at him, confused.

"You, my dear Raminus, are moving in with me."

...

A/N: and that, my friends, is the end of the first chapter of Kismet. How do you like?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: wow, the story's only been up for a few days and people already love it! Thank you!

"talking"

_Thinking_

...

For the second time that day, Raminus Polus choked on his cup of wine. "I'm _what_?"

And for the second time that day, Arch-Mage Aryvis looked at Raminus with that authoritative gleam in his eye, the one that wouldn't take no for an answer. But this time it was accompanied by a bright grin that was unnerving and attractive at the same time. "Raminus, you are young. Your ears are fine. You heard _exactly _what I said."

"B-but..." he stumbled over his words and cursed himself for it, "Why?"

"This castle's too big for me," the Arch-Mage sighed, leaning back against the bookshelf, and he grinned again. "Besides, I couldn't leave you at the University; you wouldn't know what to do without me."

Raminus didn't reply because he knew Aryvis was joking. He willed away the heat under the collar of his robe but it stayed, stubborn and uncomfortable. "But there's only one bed..." he ventured, his heart beating so fast he thought it should have bruised his rib cage.

"I can easily get another from Aurelinwae. Try another excuse."

The Master-Wizard frowned. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Making you blush? Yes, very much."

With that, Raminus shut his mouth and looked away, his face burning intensely. Aryvis smiled. "Go on to sleep, Raminus, I know you're tired. I'll meet you at the University in the morning."

...

When Raminus and Aryvis left the Mystic Emporium the next morning, he didn't know whether to be pleased or terrified. He was moving _in_... Talos, he was royally screwed. The minuscule feeling of happiness he had felt two seconds prior was swept away in a wave of agony. (if he was in a cartoon, he'd have vertical lines on his face and a cloud over him.)

Aryvis seemed to notice the waves of misery pulsing out of the Master-Wizard as they strolled through the Market District and clapped him on the back. "Relax, my friend, the University will be fine. We are only a portal away."

Those words sent him further into his proverbial dark corner. _Friend... _Gods damn it! He didn't want to be Aryvis' _friend. _His brooding silence was borne less out of self-pity or grief and more of annoyance at getting himself onto this situation by falling for the Dunmer in the first place.

"I'm going to buy some things at the Main Ingredient," Raminus said, "I'll meet you at Frostcrag Spire later tonight."

"Alright." Aryvis watched him go, then headed back to the Arcane University. He took the portal to Frostcrag Spire then over to the dilapidated Bruma Guild, and headed down to Olav's Tap and Tack. After a short, quiet conversation with the innkeeper he made his way to a hidden hatch down to the basement.

A few minutes later, a Redguard in black leather armor joined him in the dark space. Aryvis cast a night eye spell when he didn't produce a torch.

"Well, Arch-Mage," the Redguard began, "I take it you've thought about my offer?"

Aryvis hesitated a moment before answering. "I'm in."

"Very good," he smiled. "Your first target is a female Dunmer in Cheydinhal named Fadali Romain. She is one of yours, I presume."

Aryvis stiffened at the last words and watched as the Redguard moved to leave. "Jimsyn!"

Jimsyn turned back.

"How much will I get for this?"

"2000 gold."

Aryvis was satisfied with this answer, and fell silent once again as Jimsyn left him alone to contemplate what he had just agreed to.

...

"Sorry I'm so late," Aryvis mumbled as he sat on his bed, the one next to Raminus'.

"It was your house before it became mine. Don't apologize."

At this Aryvis smiled; Raminus had his face stuck in a book yet again. "We should have a party."

This brought the Master-Wizard out of the fascinating world of the Akavir. "_Why_?"

"A house-warming party," Aryvis said, as if it was obvious. "The altar room is large enough, definitely."

"That was rather random."

The Arch-Mage frowned a little. "Something... gave me the idea a while earlier."

"So, who do we invite?" Raminus asked, and Aryvis was glad he'd accepted the answer.

"The Mages' Guild, of course."

Raminus looked up from his book. "_All _of it?"

"Yep."

"That's a lot of people."

"So?"

Raminus sighed. "What's bothering you, Aryvis? You don't like being around lots of people."

"Ah, it's nothing," the mer excused rapidly, turning away from Raminus. _The things I do for you..._

...

A/N: I am having way too much fun with this for my, Aryvis' and Raminus' own goods. Expect updates like this - two or three days apart.

So, in the next chapter, guess who's coming to party with Ary and Jimsyn? Note that this is set after Vicarious Revenge :3


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: aw, it looks like nobody knows. It's Aerius, my Listener from Vicarious Revenge. He's gonna scare the crap out of Aryvis X3

To **hooded mage**_**: **_this should be long enough for you, I hope.

To **nightlight6**_**: **_don't worry, something's gonna happen pretty soon ;)

...

"The Arch-Mage sends his regards," Raminus found himself saying for the sixth time that day. He was in the Leyawiin Guild, spreading the news of Aryvis' party (he refused to claim it as his own), and hoping to find a portion of frost salts here. Aryvis had specifically asked for them, and it bothered Raminus that he didn't know why. But he had asked the Dunmer at least three times and only gotten the answer of, "It's a surprise."

So, frustrated and utterly clueless, Raminus went hopping all over Cyrodiil to spread the news of this party that Aryvis wanted to have to badly. He still didn't get the point of it, but he did it just because he asked, and at least half of the entire guild was going to be holed up in their house. He hoped, for their sake, that Aryvis was getting food.

Thankfully, Alves Uvenim showed him where the single portion of Frost Salts was, and since he already had two from his previous trip to the University, he was free to go back to Frostcrag Spire. Which he did with haste, because there were books to be read in there.

...

Not everybody knew this, but Aryvis was actually a pretty good cook. Think about it; if you're a decent alchemist, then you should be able to cook, right? Well, he'd been practicing alchemy since the age of twelve.

So, with a bag full of ingredients and the like from the feed bag, he went to the University and teleported up to Frostcrag Spire to create a feast worthy of the Mages' Guild.

...

In four hours the two of them had the entire place ready.

It was actually quite amazing, if Raminus did say so himself. There were tables over the eight frozen circles in the first corridor, covered in delicious-looking food that was the fruit of Aryvis' labors. The imps had come up from the Vault to perform as waiters, fluttering above their heads with little trays made of ice. The Arch-Mage had dimmed the windows, somehow, so the purple glow of the portals and the yellow glow of the candles made the room feel even more magical. Raminus, at this point, was just plain impressed.

"I didn't know you could cook," he complemented, putting all the books he had hidden away in the living chambers back on their shelves.

Aryvis was taking the frost salts up to the big 'cabinet'. "No one did."

"Would you _please _tell me what those are for now?" Raminus asked, walking up the ramp behind him. "It's driving me _insane_."

"So impatient," he smiled, putting the salts down on the altar. A short, esoteric phrase fell fluidly from his lips and a frost atronach appeared on the large circle of ice before them.

"By the Nine!" Raminus shouted and he flew down the ramp, up to the Atronach for closer inspection. "So _that's _what it does?"

"No, I just learned how to summon atronachs for no reason," Aryvis answered sarcastically, crossing his arms with a sly smile. When Raminus finally backed off of the frozen giant Aryvis instructed it to greet the mages to Frostcrag Spire.

The sound of it opening its mouth made Raminus wince, and Aryvis' elven ears screamed bloody murder, but after it flexed a few times the ice stopped groaning and they could actually relax. Its voice had the bass of an Orc's or Nord's, but the accent was clearly of elven descent. "Welcome... To Frostcrag Spire."

Aryvis nodded and went to prepare other parts of the room when he noticed he huge footsteps tagging his own. "You don't have to follow me around."

The atronach looked as confused as a block of ice could look. "Stay?"

"No, I..." Aryvis sighed. "Yes. Stay."

At those words it actually looked sort of _dejected_, or something, so he called some of the imps over and told them to play with him. At least they would all be out of the way for a little while.

After the final touches were made, Raminus and Aryvis sat in the library with a bottle of Tamika's. The silence was nice, the books they were reading were good, and th-

Aryvis' ears picked up the soft hum of a portal. Raminus noticed how he looked up from his book and looked a question at the Arch-Mage.

"They're here."

"Ah," the Master-Wizard stood, put his book away, and downed the last few sips of wine. "Let's welcome our guests, then."

In half an hour, the altar room was full of people. The imps fluttered about with trays heavy with cups of wine and orderves. Those who rathered not be served by them came to the front corridor to pick at it themselves. Aryvis and Aurelinwae locked eyes through the crowd and she approached him, producing a wooden box.

"Welcome to Frostcrag Spire, Arch-Mage," she smiled, and he opened the box of Magetallow candles.

"Excellent, now I won't have to buy them from you," he laughed. She smiled back, then walked off to chase down an imp carrying sweetrolls.

Aryvis scanned the crowd, a content smile on his face, until he saw a familiar face and the smile, along with color, drained out of it. Jimsyn inclined his head, a wordless "Come here."

_Talos save me, _Aryvis thought as he made his way through the crowd toward the Redguard. "What do you want, Jimsyn?" he asked quietly.

"To make sure you follow through," he responded, a sharp gleam to his eye. "I brought someone special to see you."

Aryvis' brows drew together, and he followed Jimsyn's brown gaze to an Imperial on the other side of the room, dressed in a dark shirt and wide black pants. His black hair was pulled back into a loose horsetail, and his arms were crossed over his chest. The red eyes that stared back at him sent a shiver down his spine.

Aryvis turned back to Jimsyn. "Who is he?"

"I am the Listener," Aryvis squeaked and spun around as the Imperial appeared behind him, backing up against the wall beside Jimsyn. "It's nice to meet you, Arch-Mage. Your home is quite marvelous, I must say."

"Th-thank you," the Arch-Mage mumbled quietly.

"Now," the Imperial went on, "I have heard about your advancement to Arch-Mage, and admire your work in ridding Cyrodiil of necromancers. However, _I _am the head of the Dark Brotherhood, and if you hesitate to accomplish anything you've agreed to, I will _not _hesitate to dispose of you. Welcome to Frostcrag Spire."

With that, he turned and disappeared among the crowd of mages, leaving Aryvis in a slight state of PTSD. He leaned against the wall with wide eyes, his body trembling a little, and Jimsyn chuckled.

"Aerius can be a bit intimidating, you see," he bumped himself off the wall and disappeared into the crowd as well.

...

Raminus was just finishing a talk with some old colleagues when he noticed Aryvis snaking through the crowd, a smiling Dunmer girl trailing behind him. He'd seen that sort of thing before, at graduation parties from when he was an Associate, and it _looked _like a one-night stand. He didn't seem like the sort of person who would...

All his doubts died violently when he saw their faces. Being almost the same deep shade of blue, they blushed the exact same color. He imagined that they were borne of anticipation, and retreated to the nonexistent dark corner that had become familiar to him. There was no chance for him now.

...

"Fadali..."

"Yes, Arch-Mage?"

Aryvis squeezed his eyes shut, steeling himself. "I'm glad we could get away from the party."

Fadali giggled, snuggling up to Aryvis' warm chest. He took in a deep breath.

"But no one escapes Sithis." Quickly, before he could regret it, he pinched her nose and clapped a hand over her mouth. She squealed and struggled, but neither could be heard by the guests down in the altar room. Before too long her red eyes dimmed and her body stilled. Aryvis listened hard for her pulse, but it had fallen silent.

His reaction to this was delayed; he was used to killing, just not anyone innocent. But when the gravity of the situation hit him he jumped out of the bed, tripping over the chest beside it, struggling to breathe because his chest felt tight. He grabbed his robe from where it was carelessly tossed to the floor and wrapped it around himself, chuckling humorlessly because he'd taken them from Mannimarco. He thought it was perfect for the occasion.

...

Aerius felt eerie cold settle upon him, and he knew why. After a knowing look at Jimsyn, the Redguard left to pay the Arch-Mage and dispose of the body.

When Jimsyn reached the living quarters of Frostcrag Spire he found the Arch-Mage curled up in the corner, eyes wide and unseeing, crying his little heart out. It was _pitiful_. But, being the heartless bastard he was, he just laughed and tossed the sack of 2000 Septims in his general direction. "Well done, Arch-Mage... Perhaps we will see each other again?"

He didn't know if it was in response or not, but Aryvis pulled his hood far over his head, shielding his eyes. Jimsyn picked up Fadali's body and went out the door with a smile.

...

It was at least two hours before Raminus made his way into the living quarters. At first he didn't notice Aryvis curled in the corner, cloaked with Mannimarco's robes, his shoulders hunched and quivering as he held his knees to his chest.

"All of the mages are gone, the altar room's full of scrolls and..." he frowned, his eyes resting on the trembling form of the Arch-Mage. "Aryvis?"

Aryvis looked up at him, eyes far more red than usual.

Raminus approached him carefully, concern drawing lines in his face. "Aryvis, what's wrong? Where's Fadali?"

"She's gone..." Aryvis' voice was hollow as he spoke into his knees.

He took the shaking Dunmer into his arms, asking quietly, "What happened?"

"Can't tell..." his voice cracked and he resigned to letting himself be held, Raminus becoming the only thing warm in what felt so cold all of a sudden.

They fell asleep there, on the floor, Aryvis curled into Raminus like an impotent child sleeping with the mighty wizard of his dreams.

...

A/N: I love the last part XD


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: sorry this took a little longer than usual, I do these on my phone and I was locked out for a while because it was being stupid. And then I was stumped because I had NO IDEA how to work this chapter.

To **hooded mage**: *sigh* there's just no pleasing you, is there?(Lol) okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll describe more when you make longer chapters to Tyrrany of the Mages Guild ;)

To **nightlight6**_**: **_of course I'll keep writing, I'd be way too bored without it!

...

Aryvis didn't open his eyes when he woke up. He never did; he always let his other senses become acclimated first.

So he noticed these things first: he smelled cotton, laced with wine and the general scent of alchemy; felt the soft, warm embrace he was being held in (along with the pulsing throb behind his eyes); and heard the other's breathing as his chest rose and fell against Aryvis' ear. When he opened his eyes his vision was full of blue fabric. Part of him wanted to get up before he woke but the rest wanted to stay curled up in the comfortable heat that was Raminus Polus. Besides, moving around wouldn't help the headache...

With a content little hum he nuzzled his face into Raminus' collarbone and closed his eyes.

...

The next time he woke he had turned around, his back against Raminus' chest. There was an arm draped over his middle and the Master-Wizard's breathing was in his ear. Even with his eyes closed he could see the sun on his face and he turned over, hiding in the dark comfort of Raminus' robe.

"You're awake," the Imperial murmured, his words warming Aryvis' ear. He nodded against the other's chest. "Are you alright?"

Aryvis felt a sinking sensation below his ribs but pushed it away, deciding instead to lie. There was no need to worry Raminus anymore than he was. "I have a bit of a headache, but otherwise I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

The Imperial sighed. "You were really upset about something after the party yesterday. I think it was about Fadali."

_Exactly. _"I don't know," Aryvis shrugged, pretending to be confused. "I must've had too much wine... So how did we end up like _this_?"

Raminus got up far faster than he'd ever moved before, his face lighting up like a torch. His hand shot to the back of his neck, like it always did when he didn't want to lie but didn't want to tell the truth either. Aryvis didn't know that about him; he thought something had suddenly come to the Master-Wizard's mind. "Raminus, what's wrong?"

The words came tumbling out, "Nothing, it's just that we have to do something with the leftover food and shelve all the tomes and scrolls and books from the mages and get the imps back in the Vault and the atronach's probably a big puddle by now and-"

What he hadn't noticed while ranting was Aryvis getting up, walking over to him, and placing a blue finger over his lips. "Raminus, calm down."

He took a deep breath, letting his eyes fall shut and his shoulders loosen as he exhaled. The Dunmer dropped his finger and murmured, "Good."

"I just wanted to be sure you were alright," Raminus said, and before he knew it he had leaned forward and pressed his lips to Aryvis' forehead.

He spun around, cheeks flaming, jaw clenched because he could _not believe _he'd just done that. A short, sibilant curse flew from his lips when the Arch-Mage called his name. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Damn right, you didn't."

His expression changed from one of slight horror to one of slight surprise and he turned back around. Aryvis had his arms crossed, one dark brow arched, an amused gleam in his eye and a small grin on his face. In one quick, fluid motion he reached out, grabbed the back of Raminus' neck and yanked him forward so that their noses touched.

"Because if you're going to kiss me," Aryvis continued, "You'd better do it _properly_."

Raminus stopped breathing for a second, his face growing hot as his pulse thumped in his ears. Aryvis smiled, let him go, and went out of the door.

...

Aryvis' mischievous grin didn't disappear all day. He knew he was being evil, he _knew _it, but it was just so much _fun. _He couldn't resist. And embarrassing Raminus helped the ache in his solar plexus go away; soon he had forgotten all about his second murder.

The first had been on his mission to retrieve the Necromancer's Amulet from Carahil; he hadn't learned a good invisibility spell yet and knew from a scar in the shape of a mace on his side that it was better to take out any enemies before they even knew he was there. So of course he'd thrown a shock spell at the first person he saw; it was dark and he had assumed that they'd be hostile. Little had he known that it was actually a mage who decided that standing around in an old fort was a good idea. He'd sneaked past all the others with ease, fought with Carahil over the amulet, and made it back to the University without a scratch. He hadn't thought anything of it for the whole ride back. In fact, he completely forgot about it.

That is, until a certain Redguard decided to wake him out of a much-needed sleep.

At first he'd been offended that someone had actually woke him to _talk_, then slightly scared by what he wanted to talk about, then annoyed that he had been asked to join a 'family' of murderers. Jimsyn was lucky to have made it out without being electrocuted.

Now, though, Aryvis was a little more open to it. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it was so _lucrative_. Now he could buy the alchemy lab without scorching a hole into his pocket.

Which was exactly what he was planning on doing, as soon as he finished having Mage Apprentices practice gathering ingredients in the University. By the time they were finished, there were entire piles of stinkhorn and fly amanita cap _everywhere_.

_"_What has you so amused, Arch-Mage?" asked a little Breton girl carrying a basket of Emetic Russula. Her bright blond hair hung loosely down past her shoulders and her green robe complemented curious brown eyes. The name that came to mind was Alix.

"Nothing," he dismissed, though the ever present smile said otherwise, "Tell Alessius and Randui to go find J'skar. You all can practice Destruction with him."

She nodded and walked away, taking her burden in tow. Aryvis turned and headed for the Mystic Emporium, his grin returning tenfold.

...

If Raminus had ever been frustrated before, now he was frustrated, annoyed, and just flat-out pissed.

He had been right _there_, right in front of his face, and what did Raminus do? He gulped and blushed like a lovestruck teenager. It was _infuriating_, he couldn't believe that he'd had a chance standing right in front of him, inches away, and he hadn't taken it. How couldn't he have taken it? It was probably going to be the only one.

This thought was what had him pacing a hole in the floor of the altar room.

At first he had been reading in the little corner library, but that refused to calm his irritation. When his legs started hurting because he'd paced for the better part of an hour he went down to the Vault, hoping that the biting cold would oust the annoyed fire within him, but it just served to annoy him more because it was so damn _cold_.

Which is why he ended up throwing a fireball at one of the Guardians.

The imp squealed in surprise and fell to the ground. Raminus just stood there and stared as it rolled, watching it die with a detached sort of sadism. After a few more moments of shrieking it lay still... until an aurora of white circled it and it flew once again. (**don't **try this at home, I'm not sure if the Guardians really do respawn) Raminus spent the next twenty or so minutes killing the Vault Guardians and watching them come back to life. It was actually pretty calming, watching the flames die in the sheer cold and the imps revive almost immediately. He felt so much bett-

Aryvis appeared behind him. "Raminus, I have a surprise for you!"

_Dammit. So close._

In one final burst of dejection he shot Wizard's Fury at the little creature and watched it fly back to hit the wall. Aryvis led him back up to the living quarters, but it wasn't as empty as it had been; there was a curved table over against the wall. It was rough glass, clear enough to tell what it was, but rugged enough to appear extraordinary. There were large iron spikes shooting upwards from the corners and a red cloth was draped across the middle. On it sat a few alchemy apparatuses - a novice mortal and pestle, along with an expert one; an apprentice alembic; a novice retort and an expert calcinator with a flaming sample of clouded funnel cap inside.

Raminus' foul mood was instantly appeased, overtaken by silent awe at the lab before him. "It's amazing," he found himself saying quietly.

"Have at it," Aryvis waved, turning to sit on his bed so he could pull off leather boots. "I carry my own supplies anyway."

Raminus turned around to thank him but was robbed of his words by what he saw. Aryvis had taken off his Arch-Mage's robes, leaving him in a pair of loose breeches. His hair tie was gone, and he ran a hand through dark hair that pooled around strong shoulders. Raminus' eyes traveled down said shoulders, past lean-muscled biceps and well developed pectorals to a tight eight pack. Faint v-lines disappeared into his pants.

His face burned like the lava over in the conservatory. There was no way he could just sit there and stare at the mer, he needed to _breathe_, but he really didn't want to... With a sudden flare of resolve he forced himself to turn around and he took in a few quiet breaths.

"Oh, _Raminus_..."

Ice flew up the Master-Wizard's spine. _Talos save me._

_"_Your stares are palpable, you know," the Dunmer stated flatly. Raminus cautiously turned back on the stool and was slightly disappointed to note that the abdomen in his face was clothed. Blue arms were crossed over his chest. "Was there something on my chest? In my hair? Did I have another ridiculous elf cup stain on my arm?"

The Imperial swallowed; he had a feeling this was going somewhere. True to his fears, Aryvis bent at the waist, his face in Raminus', the same grin and gleam in his eyes as that morning.

_"_Or do you like what you see?"

Raminus contemplated this for all of two seconds. Of course he liked what he saw; he had for almost three months. Here he sat, looking like a deer in the face of a hunter, silent as a numb icy feeling spreading through his limbs. Aryvis' smile widened, like it always did when he had thoroughly intimidated the Master-Wizard, and he started to stand tall again. Raminus would have none of that; he wasn't going to let this second chance go to waste, too.

So he reached up, grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled him into a kiss.

The ice left him the minute the Dunmer's lips began to move with his own, replaced by a warm tingly feeling that told him he'd been accepted. The hand he had on Aryvis' neck moved slightly, his thumb nestled itself in the hollow behind a pointed ear and the other fingers were buried in thick black hair. Slowly he felt Aryvis' lips part and a wet muscle pressed against his own. To be perfectly honest, he couldn't accept it fast enough; their tongues met hastily, sliding along the other's in continuous movement.

Aryvis leaned forward, bracing both hands on the edge of the altar. The soft, wet sounds of their kiss was all he could hear, and the slight pull of Raminus' fingers in his hair wasn't entirely unpleasant. But he didn't appreciate the pressure building in his lungs; sooner or later he'd have to break the kiss so he could breathe.

Raminus shared that problem. He didn't want to let go just yet, it felt like it had only been a few seconds... And yet his lungs had other priorities. So reluctantly, _very _reluctantly, he pulled away, allowing himself to take in air before he spoke.

"Was that proper enough for you?" he joked, looking up at the Dunmer with a small, pleased smile.

Aryvis smirked. "Gods, Raminus, what took you so long?"

...

A/N: okay, I have to admit, I'm very proud of myself for this. I just am.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: again, sorry for the delay, I've had a pretty busy spring break and stuff. Besides, this chapter is _long_. But with school back up, I might be able to kick out some 1000-2000 word chapters maybe two times a week? Just bear with me, please :)

To **hooded mage: **oh, that's no fun.

**Nightlight6, **where'd you go? I did that last chapter with you in mind :'( hopefully you'll make it for this one.

...

"There's a meeting of the Council of Mages tonight, don't forget it," Raminus told Aryvis as he hopped around, trying to pull a leather boot onto his foot.

"How many times are you going to tell me that in one morning?"

Raminus smirked, feeling triumphant as the shoe _whumped _when it met his sole. "I think I've made it to twelve."

"And you find that necessary because...?" Aryvis mused as he pulled his hair into a loose horsetail.

"Because that is something you cannot forget."

One of the Dunmer's dark brows jumped into his hairline at the implications woven through the Master-Wizard's words. He turned around and crossed his arms. "Who's to say I'd forget?"

"You forgot the last one," Raminus pointed out, a sly smile on his face.

"I'd only been Arch-Mage for three days," he excused. Raminus opened his mouth to say something else, but Aryvis interrupted him. "Leave it alone, Raminus. You worry about the apprentices, I'll worry about getting to the Council Meeting on time."

"You aren't coming with me to the University?"

Aryvis shrugged, "I've got some... Business to take care of."

"I'll see you tonight, then," Raminus said and turned to leave. Aryvis grabbed his hand and pulled him backwards before he could, though.

"One more thing," the Dunmer murmured and leaned down for a chaste kiss. Raminus hummed, a sound sort of like laughter, and their lips met again briefly before he went out of the door. Aryvis stared at the space he had occupied a moment longer then returned to his chest, rifling through the many contents to find a single note.

_If you ever find yourself in need of a very easy, very profitable job, which I imagine you will, visit my home.__ I'll show you where to go from there._

_-J._

The Arch-Mage sighed as he read through the short letter once more. He almost couldn't believe he was doing this again - not because of the nervous breakdown he'd had last time, no of course not - but because it felt he was being cheap. Then again, what was a little extra money? Especially toward the project he had planned.

He'd wanted to craft something for Raminus for a while now. And, if he'd overheard correctly a few months ago, his birthday was coming up. His idea was very intricate, very time-consuming, and very expensive. The longer he waited, the less time he had to work on it, and the bigger the hole he was going to burn into his own pocket. So he might as well get it started while he could; there was a lot to do.

With a final sigh he steeled himself and crumpled the paper before setting it alight in his palm. The ashes left a grayish circle on his blue skin and he stepped out onto the balcony to let the wind carry it away. It was a sunny day, a rare occasion - usually by the time he reached the Spire it was snowing or raining. He stepped on the portal to the Bruma Guild and looked around sadly; sooner or later he'd have to get this place repaired, he couldn't just let it sit like this. But he didn't have time to reminisce now, he had business to do.

...

Jimsyn lived in a quaint little house a few doors down from Olav's Tap and Tack, in what he believed had belonged to the last Bruma Speaker, a Khajiit named J'Ghasta. He had a tight schedule to follow every day, concerning his Murderers, his own personal life, and the clever ruse he had designed as a cover-up for his real, quite fulfilling occupation.

But today he had wedged a small space into said schedule mainly because he had a feeling he'd be visited by someone special. So here he was, sitting outside of his house, pretending to read a book when he was really scanning his surroundings.

He glanced up the street and there was his visitor.

"Arch-Mage," he greeted as soon as the Dunmer was in earshot. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

Aryvis frowned, but continued up to the house anyway. "You told me that you'd show me where to go from here, so show me."

"Calm down, we aren't going far." Jimsyn said, putting a hand on Aryvis' shoulder. The Arch-Mage moved away from the touch but still followed him up the stairs into his home. It wasn't done in the usual Bruma style, roomier than one would believe, though the interior was completely wooden. Aryvis expected to go down a flight of stairs at some point, but he ended up being dragged around to a trap door that was hidden under a pile of cloth bundles.

"Rather unorthodox, don't you think?" the Arch-Mage grumbled.

"It keeps the Legion out of my business."

Aryvis snorted and looked around. It _seemed _to be a normal basement, but... He wasn't surprised when Jimsyn pressed a block in the wall and an entire section moved away. The hole in the bricks gave way to a dark tunnel, one that reminded him of the old abandoned Forts he'd been to, but this one was illuminated with a red glow that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Unease set heavily into his bones as he followed Jimsyn inside.

The tunnel sloped downward, turning to the left in an almost endless spiral. Aryvis dropped to a crouch, his elven ears pricked nervously and his. Night-Eye spell a little stronger than it needed to be. Jimsyn, finally noticing that the Arch-Mage was wound up tight and just about ready to snap, asked him if he was alright.

"I don't like being underground," he answered tersely, tensely. Jimsyn chuckled but said no more.

The further they descended, the more uneasy the Dunmer was, and he felt the intense need to blow something up by the time they reached the source of the red light. The irony, though, was that they had only been walking for a few minutes. In front of the two stood an ancient stone door, a large skull imprint taking up the entire top half of space. A glowing hand was centered in its forehead, and Aryvis felt the presence of a pulsing magic far more powerful than anything he'd ever come across. Below the skull were four humanoid figures who seemed to be bowing to a larger, female one with dark hair and clothes. She held a baby in one hand and a dagger in the other; as soon as he saw it he recognized the Night Mother from Jimsyn's explanations.

Suddenly a soft whisper permeated the air: "_What is the perfect moment of Dread?"_

"A cold midnight, tainted with blood and shrouded in shadow," the Redguard replied smoothly as if he'd said the phrase dozens of times. _He probably has, _Aryvis thought. The door sighed a _"Welcome home." _and opened, revealing a noticeably large room that the Arch-Mage could actually breathe in. The room was like one of an abandoned Fort; stone pillars held the ceiling up, iron lanterns hung from the ceilings. Large, circular rugs dyed vermillion ran down the middle aisle and benches and desks were lined against the pillars, a skull sitting atop one of them. Small tables sat in the corners of the rectangular room, adorned with books and candles and accompanied by a stool or two. One wide doorway was to Aryvis' left, and another to his right. The path before him disappeared down a short flight of stairs and around a corner.

Upon their entry three heads turned to face them - a male Altmer, a female Khajiit with dark brown fur, and a Breton woman with bright brown eyes. She smiled and approached them; Aryvis couldve sworn he'd seen her before...

"Good morning, Arch-Mage," she piped up, "You don't look as amused anymore."

Aryvis' jaw nearly fell from the rest of his skull. "_Alix?"_

_"_That's me," she smiled cheerily, watching as he tried to articulate a question, but Jimsyn beat him to it.

"You two know each other?"

This fixed the Arch-Mage's moment of confusion. "She's one of my Associates."

"And I'm one of his Executioners," the Breton pointed out.

"Enough," Jimsyn interrupted, "You know each other, that's wonderful. For now, Alix, get the Arch-Mage a suit of Shrouded Armor. Explain the usual."

"Yes, Speaker," she bowed and walked away. Aryvis followed her through the doorway to the left, and was presented with a short hallway. It angled to the right, and there was a small indent in the wall where a few crates and barrels were stacked, which was where Alix stopped. Aryvis remained a bit of a distance away and began asking questions.

"How long have you been in the Brotherhood?"

"Almost two years," she responded immediately, her words muffled a little as she dove into a large crate.

"What do you do here?"

"I'm the Mistress of the Sanctuary," she said, lifting up a dark cuirass that didn't seemed to satisfy her, so she put it back and began rifling again, "I welcome all the new recruits, help them get acclimated... Which now includes you."

Aryvis frowned. "You should be training with Raminus today."

"I'm never there on Loredas."

Try as he might, he couldn't remember a single Loredas with Alix there. He admitted his defeat with a sigh and leaned back against the large stones in the wall as she continued, "I don't go to the University on Sundas, either, but neither do you."

This was true - Sundas was his day off. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a thick bundle of purplish-black leather as it hit him square in the chest.

"Try that on," Alix said, "It should fit."

Aryvis nodded and looked expectantly at her. She just stared back. "... _Oh_! Right, I'll be back in a few minutes, just call if you need help or anything."

With that, she was gone, and the heavy door _clunked _shut. Aryvis shed his Arch-Mage's robes and draped them across a crate before picking the surprisingly light armor up by the shoulders to inspect it. It looked a little like an ordinary cuirass, though it was a dusky purple instead of the normal brown and less bulky. Numerous latches and clasps littered the torso and the shoulder piece sported a hand print. Soft leather gloves hung loosely at the end of the black banded sleeves.

With a bit of a frown Aryvis decided to try that part on later; it was complicated, he'd figure it out some time that wasn't now. Instead he picked up the lower half of the armor. It was the same color as its counterpart, naturally, and multiple pockets were strewn among the fabric. Two belts hung diagonally across the hip area in opposite directions, crossing each other right over the crotch. They were obviously for swords and the like; he always carried an elven dagger with him for emergencies but otherwise the belts wouldn't be necessary. Still, they looked sort of cool...

He shrugged and shed his loose breeches before sitting on the crate next to his robe and pulling on the leather ones. They fit nicely but it felt odd wearing such tight clothes; he was so used to loose breeches and robes that the leather was a little... Bizarre. But he was used to the soft thrum of magicka that pulsed through his legs when they were settled comfortably around his hips; they must've been enchanted. Next he moved on to the cuirass, eyeing it with a look of confused intrigue. He undid the latches along the torso and the one for the shoulder piece before slipping it over his head.

Aryvis was a bit of a prima donna when it came to his hair, and he knew it. This is what brought on the annoyed frown as the inside of the Shrouded cuirass rubbed against the top of his head; it would be all frizzy now. As soon as he got the thing on properly he yanked the brown tie off of his horsetail, letting his hair fall freely to its length below his shoulder blades. A disdainful look was all the hood got.

Alix returned right as he was bending over to pull on the black boots, silently slipping into the doorway. Aryvis' ears twitched at the small creak the door made, and he straightened up after tightening the straps across his shins, turning around and fixing her with an expectant stare.

"Well, Aryvis, I'm impressed," she said, leaning against the door frame. "I like your hair."

"Thank you," the Arch-Mage responded, but his right eye twitched - there were only two people in Cyrodiil who called him by his name. One was Raminus, for obvious reasons, and the other had been Arch-Mage Traven. This Associate was not one of them. Alix noticed his expression of slight annoyance and smiled.

"You may be Arch-Mage outside of these walls, _Aryvis_," she teased, "But in here you are a Murderer. And in here I will address you as I see fit."

This made him smile - he was impressed by her bravado. "Fine, but expect to have no free time on Mondas."

"Fair enough. Come meet the Family."

He folded up his Arch-Mage's robes and put them in his bag before following the Breton out to the main lobby, where the same three still stood. The Khajiit woman was closest; she approached him and held out her similarly clothed hand. "This one is called J'zhirra," she rasped, "This one welcomes you, Dark Brother."

Aryvis smiled and reached for her forearm in the customary form of greeting between colleagues, and she followed suit. "My thanks, Sister," he replied, tightening his grip slightly at the last word before moving on to greet the Altmer.

He had his face buried in a book, an action that immediately brought forth the mental image of Raminus on his first night at the Spire, his insatiable lust for knowledge spurring him on to flip through page after page in his library. This, of course, created a wide smile that he was only slightly aware of as he approached the other mer.

But as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, a slightly annoyed voice expressed itself from behind the book. "I was beginning to wonder when you would stop grinning at me from the other side of the room."

Aryvis frowned. "I wasn't grinning at _you_."

"If you say so," he sighed, "Begone."

"Eraamion, be nice," Alix warned.

"Trust me, I am."

Aryvis felt a vexed heat pool between his eyes. All he'd wanted was to say _hello, _Gods damn it, that didn't warrant all the cynicism. He pressed two fingers to the spot, sighing the word _fetcher _and walking away. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care, he just wanted to get away from the evil -

"Spell-casting degenerate."

And the heat blossomed, dropping behind his nose and flooding the rest of his body. He felt like he just inhaled water, the burn in his sinuses made him hiss in annoyance and slight pain. Why was he being so _intolerable_? "S'wit," he hissed, spinning around to face Eraamion.

"Both of you, stop," Alix growled, shooting twin bolts of illusion magic at the arguing mer. As the green cloud hit Aryvis his blood cooled, leaving him unwilling to slow roast the Altmer from the inside, as he had a few seconds prior. The calm spell wasn't as strong as it could've been, it still left him angry, but not caring enough to do anything about it.

"Take me somewhere else," he grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away.

"Yes, please, his very presence is making me itch," Eraamion muttered, returning to his book.

Alix sighed and smacked the back of his head before moving on to walk with Aryvis. They descended the stairs, the Dunmer's frown tight and insulted. In an attempt to lighten the mood the Breton spoke up, "He does that to every one; he's a bit of a pariah."

All she got in reply was a grunt of recognition as they turned to the left, following the curve of the corner. When they passed another wide doorway she explained that those were her quarters, and they continued down another small flight of stairs to yet another door. Aryvis was convinced that this place was incredibly repetitive. Alix knocked on the door before opening it a little, poking her head into the door. There was a short conversation before she moved out of the way and ushered him in with a silent gesture.

Frowning curiously, Aryvis entered the room. It was a private quarters, complete with a dresser drawer, a small table and a single person bed shoved over into the corner. A single lamp hung from the ceiling above the circular table. A rack of war hammers lined the wall in front of him, varying from silver to glass and everywhere in between; there were two, maybe three of each, and at least one in every category shimmered with enchantment when he tipped his head slightly to the side.

"You seem rather intrigued by my... arsenal," said a soft voice from a darker corner of the small room.

Aryvis turned to the other. In a chair sat a man in black robes, his figure so cloaked in shadow that only his eyes were visible. If he wasn't mistaken, the figure was a Dunmer; he recognized the accent from his first seventeen years of life, in Vvardenfell. He spoke the same way. The eyes that shone through the piercing dark that surrounded him were red, but not the deep, bright ruby that was common among Dark Elves. Instead they were a pale shade of crimson that he recognized immediately as belonging to a vampire.

Deciding not to insult the undead mer with his slightly disturbed stare he cleared his throat and replied, "It's quite the collection. You must've gone all over Tamriel to get so many."

"I confess, I have been many a place in my day," the mer chuckled. "But enough about me, introduce yourself."

_I still don't know anything about you, _Aryvis thought in frustration but spoke anyway. "I'm Aryvis Othren, Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild."

The eyes narrowed. "Othren, you say?" and he stood, walking around the younger mer in a way that made him feel scrutinized. The darkness that Aryvis had seen followed this vampire Dunmer around, clinging to his cloak like fog in Anvil. "You wouldn't happen to know an Andali Othren, would you?"

"She's my grandmother," came the automatic reply. He didn't know why this strange mer knew his family, and the crease in his brow said as much.

"Relax, Arch-Mage," the other laughed quietly, "I grew up with her. I'm Suleri's brother, Fadril."

Aryvis had grown up on tales of his great-uncle Suleri's escapades as a child, his prowess with magic even at a young age. Those stories were what spurred him on to Cyrodiil, to follow in his uncle's footsteps. In every tale she told he could sense that she missed him dearly, but she never spoke of a brother to miss.

"Or, should I say, he was my best friend. He used to call me his brother so much that I'm used to saying it, myself."

"Used to...?" Aryvis was afraid of what that meant.

True to his fears, the vampire sighed sadly. "He died on a contract twelve years ago, I'm afraid. The fetcher refused to retire and got himself killed." he spat the last word bitterly, then seemed to compose himself and added, "Your gram would be proud of you, if she knew you made it to Arch-Mage. She'd probably be pissed, though, now that you've joined the Brotherhood."

Aryvis smiled. "Could you tell me about some of your trips through Tamriel? I'd really love to hear them."

"Of course, why not? Pull over a chair, Suleri and I have gotten ourselves into _so _much trouble..."

Aryvis spent the next few hours listening to the tales of his uncle and Fadril's adventures across Tamriel. They had been _everywhere, _from Skyrim to the Summerset Isles and every place in between. Suleri had gotten a long scar across his back from when he was attacked by a lich and Fadril had nearly broken his favorite war hammer on the horn of a Minotaur Lord. Most of it was on Dark Brotherhood business, but they almost always got sidetracked on the way back and ended up doing something entirely different. They had so many amazing times together... (none of which I will describe because they're an entire story on their own.)

"But enough, the night calls me," the vampire ended, rising from his chair.

Aryvis was confused and somewhat alarmed. "_Night_? How do you know?"

"You will find that vampires run on tight, very accurate schedules, my friend," Fadril smiled. "Come, I'll show you the fast way out."

"Please," he squeaked and just about flew out of Fadril's quarters. The vampire chuckled warmly and followed, his long stride allowing him to catch up to the panicking Dunmer rather quickly. It also may have helped that he had no idea where he was going.

The two Dunmer walked through the Sanctuary, Fadril almost by memory as Aryvis anxiously followed. The vampire pushed open the door to what the Arch-Mage thought was a closet, but inside stood a ladder that disappeared into darkness. Fadril flew up the rungs with grace, silently leading Aryvis up to a trap door that opened to the Bruma sky. Directly over their heads a deep, dark cobalt had taken over the usually cerulean expanse, but to the west a dark red glow informed them that the sun had just set. The air was sharply chilled and Aryvis could smell the impeding snow.

"Shall we meet tomorrow, then?" Fadril asked quietly as the Arch-Mage climbed out of the well.

Aryvis nodded and looked around; they were down the road a bit, still behind the houses, but far enough away that no one could hear them. "I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, he sprinted off to the Bruma Guild, stepping on the portal to go back to the Spire. After entering the living quarters he quickly shed the tight leather armor and stashed it in the very back, very bottom of his wardrobe. Raminus could _not _find it.

He then pulled on his blue robes, wincing when the fabric rubbed against the top of his head, and grabbed a comb from the top of the dresser. The few tangles were rather violently undone and the unruly strands that had been disturbed were put in their place. Instead of pulling it all into a horsetail like he usually did, he gathered the top half in one hand and tied it up, leaving everything below his ears free to hang. A few shorter locks fell just shy of the tie, so they fell in and around his face.

But he liked it.

So with one final glance in the mirror atop his wardrobe he went back outside to the portals and teleported to the Arcane University. After the time he'd taken at the Spire the sky was even darker, but the bright illumination of Secunda's gray body along with the large pedestal of purple fire beside him made it easy to see the grounds of the University... Including the familiar form of Raminus coming down the stairs.

"By the Nine, you're actually here," he joked, a sarcastic white grin plastered across his face. "And you even managed to get here early? Talos, I'm going to owe Tar-Meena quite a few Septims."

"Oh, be quiet," Aryvis hissed, though he also was smiling. "I told you I'd be here, I only missed the last one because I was still trying to get the smell of mort flesh out of my robes."

With a soft chuckle Raminus turned and began to walk down the grounds, past the door to the Lustratorium and Chironasium. Aryvis followed silently, his sharp eyes picking out the moons' glow on everything, including Raminus' silver hair. His head tipped to the side, lips sliding into a content, appreciative smile. The light intensified its shine, casting a halo around the Master-Wizard's head. His shoulders were also bathed in the glow, presenting a tranquil aurora to the man, and Aryvis found it fascinating and angelic. He sped up his gait, catching up to Raminus in seconds, and slipped his hand into the other's loosely open one. A small smile and the tightening of that hand was his reward.

Raminus barely realized it, but the Dunmer began to lead him over to the small garden between the Chironasium and Practice Rooms. Once they were in the dark shadows of the concave space, hidden among the Fly Amanita and Steel-Blue Entoloma, Aryvis pulled him into a kiss. The moment of endearment lasted far too short in the Arch-Mage's opinion - he'd missed this and was too impatient to wait any longer - as Raminus broke away and murmured, "Aryvis, someone's going to see us."

The Dunmer chuckled. "They don't call us Dark Elves for nothing, Raminus."

"You say 'us' like I am one as well."

"Well, we _will _get caught if you don't stop talking," he whispered into the Imperial's ear, enjoying the sight of his blush. "Besides, your lips have such a better use at the moment."

The blush reddened and Raminus coughed, a pathetically failed attempt at willing the blood rush away. This, of course, amused Aryvis all the more and he pulled the Imperial even closer, placing tiny kisses along his jaw and ear. "M-meeting, Aryvis, meeting," the Imperial stuttered out in a desperate attempt to stop this before he didn't want to leave anymore.

"_Skip it_," was murmured into his ear.

"No," he blurted out, he hadn't ever missed a meeting and he didn't plan on starting now.

Aryvis smiled. "We'll be late, then."

...

A/N: Geez, I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written in any story EVER. Again, I apologize for the lateness, writers' block and length made this take forever. The updates will be up sooner, I'm looking forward to some more than others :P

D0N out.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: okay, I started this chapter on the fourth, see how long it took me? *sigh* I feel like such an evil failure! I can't get the chapters out quick enough for my own wishes, and I HATE making you guys wait so long... Well, to make it up to you...

Who's ready for a kill? :D

**Hoodedmage: **yay, I've finally got it right! Glad I could live up to your standards. Thanks a bunch!

**Nightlight6: **aw, thank you! I have a lot of fun writing this story (Eraamion's gonna be a favorite of mine, I can tell) and I couldn't wait to just continue the story already : )

...

"Your weapon of choice is magic, obviously."

Aryvis nodded.

"Which school?"

"Destruction and Illusion, I'm a pretty decent alchemist as well."

At this Fadril smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sithis, you're exactly like Su."

Aryvis' felt a surge of pride at being compared to his uncle. To think, he hadn't even known the mer and he was doing the exact same things!

"In which case," the vampire continued, "You should be able to make poisons."

"I've made a few, but I didn't usually feel the need to use them," the Arch-Mage murmured, suddenly confused. His spells worked fine, what was the point of wasting a perfectly sellable poison on a dagger he wouldn't even use?

"You could use a few for your next contract," he said, handing the younger mer a scroll. "North of Bravil, on the west bank of the Upper Niben lies an abandoned fort by the name of Variela. It is not longer abandoned, however, necromancers have taken over it."

A shudder of annoyance ran down the Arch-Mage's spine - he'd spent a good eight months killing necromancers. He even killed their leader, for Talos' sake, do they ever _die_? Plus, he really didn't want another round of crazed, corpse-manipulating fanatics chasing him around a fort with glass maces. And yet...

The thought of putting them to shame yet again was quite entertaining.

So he sat back in his chair in Fadril's living quarters, listening intently to the elder mer's instructions. Inside the fort, protected by dozens of followers, was a Breton named Maniel Erelie who had, apparently, done something terrible to somebody's loved one, and now he was marked by the Brotherhood. Aryvis, having experience with killing necromancers, was the mer for the job.

Which was utterly perfect, in his opinion.

"As usual, you can keep anything you find," Fadril went on, "All the Brotherhood wants is him dead."

At this the Arch-Mage blanched. He'd felt fine, it didn't really sink in that he was _killing _a person until the word _dead _came out into the open air. The undead mer observed the sudden loss of blood in Aryvis' face with a frown. "What's wrong with you?"

"Ah," the Arch-Mage began, a muscle in the small of his back tightening (which it always did when he was nervous about something), "Well, the last contract I took... Didn't end well..."

Fadril chuckled and Aryvis could have lit him on fire that second. "That, Aryvis, was your own fault."

"How so?" he didn't twitch at the use of his name this time; as soon as he found out who Fadril was he latched onto the elder mer like the uncle he wasn't.

"No one told you to sleep with her before you killed her."

Aryvis crossed his arms with a huff, looking away as his eyes burned at that particular memory. The Executioner's chuckles weren't making him feel any better.

"You don't plan on sleeping with your next mark, do you?" Fadril asked, his eyes glinting humorously from behind his perpetual aurora of shadow. The fetcher.

"Funny," Aryvis grumbled. He snatched the partially open scroll from the table and ghosted out of the vampire's quarters. He was halfway to the ladder back up to Bruma when Alix grabbed him by his shoulder piece.

"What on Mundus is your problem?" she hissed, taking in his unamused frown and eyes that were redder than normal.

Aryvis sighed, looking away. "Nothing, Alix, let me go. I have a contract to do."

"Like Oblivion you do," she grabbed his hand and very well dragged him into the living quarters. (_The woman could probably haul a minotaur uphill if she wanted to_, the mer thought ruefully.) She sat him down at the table therein and pulled a bottle of Tamika's off the wine rack. The thick glass banged loudly when it hit the table and the Arch-Mage flinched, wondering why it hadn't broken. "You are going to tell me why this contract has you so upset or you're not getting paid for it."

"And if you don't sod off you'll be making potions until you have blisters on your blisters," Aryvis growled, but the threat had lost a bit of its venom at the thought of not getting paid. It was a low blow, he'd admit that.

She shrugged. "I can handle that, now talk."

Gods, the woman was persistent. With a sigh he finally gave up, leaning forward to pour himself a glass of wine before beginning the very story he had told not seven minutes earlier. She watched with an array of facial expressions, from interest to pity to one that made him pause his story and manifest a few odd crackles of shock magic.

"If it bothers you so much, why are you here?" she asked, her brows raised a little in either pity or concern.

"I need the Septims," he answered simply, swirling the wine in his glass. "Well, not _need_, per se, but - dammit, stop _looking _at me like that! - but I want to make Raminus something for his birthday, a very expensive something."

She looked at him over her own glass. "You're _with _him, aren't you?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Oh, I don't know," she began, and Aryvis _knew _she knew, "The completely random grinning, you two moved in together when there was perfectly good space for sleeping at the University... Or what about the fact that you killed someone - are about to kill someone - for him?"

The Arch-Mage narrowed his eyes. "You're far too observant for your own good."

"Being observant has helped me a great deal," she laughed, "I knew it."

Aryvis blew a puff of air out of pursed lips and stood. "Are you done cross-examining my personal life or can I go complete my contract now?"

She grinned at him before taking another long sip of the dark red liquid, waving him away. As he was leaving, one hand gripping a rail of the ladder, a loud, feminine voice called after him, "Try using poison!"

Ugh, what was _with _these people?

...

When he materialized at the Spire he opened the large bronze door slowly and quietly, poking his head inside to check if Raminus was inside. The living quarters were devoid of the Master-Wizard, thank Talos, so he went inside and sat cross-legged on his bed, spreading his map out among the sheets. The small mark Fadril had made on the place where the fort sat was right where he'd said, between the Imperial City and Bravil. In fact, it was only a little ways southeast from Hircine's Shrine. He knew how to get there; it would be easy to find.

But first, he supposed he could take the advice of the assassins and make some poisons... Even better, he could use the ones he had already made and stored in the Vault. He rolled up his map and put it back in his bag. The portal to the altar room sent a pleasant buzz through his body as he teleported down, looking at the large space in contentment before crossing the chamber and teleporting down into the Vault.

The first thing Aryvis noticed was the six Guardians huddled around a humongous hunk of ice, chattering softly and fluttering around the large frozen form. Upon his arrival, though, they migrated over to him, flying around his head and crowding his space.

"Move, move," he hissed, shooing the annoying imps away so he could walk over to the atronach. It was sitting on the floor (he supposed it was more like squatting) directly before the portal, thick arms around its knees and its head bowed between them. It looked like it was... sleeping? He stepped forward to place a leather-clad hand on the top of its head, and breathed out a word.

"_Anyamma_," he said in fluent Ayleid, the word for life, and a wave of white magic pulsed through the ice. It blinked its blue-white eyes before shifting and rising to its wide feet.

"_Emero_." _Master_, it rumbled, bowing its head. Its jaw squealed slightly because it was speaking for the first time in days.

He had wondered where the atronach had gone! It had disappeared after the party, vanishing into thin air. But Aryvis didn't know that it had gone into the Vault with the Guardians. It did make sense, though - it was comfortably warm in the altar room, probably oppressive for the Frost Atronach, so the freezing cold would feel more appropriate. But, remembering the utterly disappointed look on the Daedra's face when it was told to stay, he murmured the Ayleid word for follow. "_Hilyat_."

Not bothering to see if it moved, knowing that it did, he went over to a chest on the opposite side of the room. Inside lay an elven bow and a quiver of fifteen arrows. Gods, he hadn't used the thing in _ages_... It was a gift from his grandmother, her blessing on his move to Cyrodiil.

Now it was a curse on the necromancers.

He slung the bow over his back, the wooden arch sliding into a hook there, and put the quiver carefully into its place by pulling the leather strap across his chest. Not far from the chest was a wardrobe, but he had put shelves inside instead of clothes. And those shelves were covered in a mass of green and pink bottles.

Aryvis pursed his lips, his eyes roaming over each poison as he decided which to use. Erelie was a necromancer - necromancers tended to summon things. So the first thing he picked up was a Poison of Silence. These didn't actually cap magicka like the spell did; in essence, they were Damage Magicka poisons that were so highly concentrated that those affected wouldn't be able to use it. Be that as it may, its effects would only last for about thirty seconds.

Next he picked up a bottle marked 'Paralyze'. This would allow for him to make quick work of his job, slit Erelie's throat and all would be done. Then he could loot the body, rid the fort of its treasures, and be on his way.

With the two potions and his bow and arrows he went back up to the alchemy lab in the living quarters. Before he sat down, though, he remembered that the Atronach would be uncomfortable (especially with a pit of lava ten feet away) so he opened the door to let in the cold.

Because he was working with potions already made, he skipped the use of the mortal and pestle and alembic. He never used a calcinator, anyway, so he skipped that, too. He pulled the stopper out of both translucent green vials and poured them into his retort, the dark red liquid of the paralyze potion creating languid swirls among the cloudy gray of the other. He watched with passive interest as it settled, fizzing softly and forming a reddish-brown color.

He spoke a custom flare spell and snapped; instead of the fireball that would've put a large black circle on the wall, a a small, blue flame hovered above his middle finger. He applied it to the wick beneath the retort, then shook his hand to put it out.

It didn't take long for the poison to boil - the fire was small, but very hot. Aryvis quickly put out the flame and reached for his arrows. Five of the fifteen went into the retort, in case he missed and needed another shot. It had been years since he even touched the thing, after all.

He left the arrows to soak and moved over to the wardrobe to change. The arrowheads were porous; they would take all the poison they could hold, and the rest he could bottle and sell for at least two hundred Septims. He took off the Shrouded armor and pulled on Mannimarco's robe. He had enchanted it to fortify his destruction skill, and on top of that it was black, and would blend in perfectly with the shadows of the fort. Of course he had to fix his hair after this, and he was pulling on his shoes when he noticed thatthe area outside the door was dark. Which meant that Raminus would be back soon. Which meant that he had to _go_.

So he picked up a piece of parchment and a quill from the bookshelf, uncapped the ink pot, and scribbled, 'Going to kill necromancers, I'll see you in the morning.' After that he put everything back to its place and picked his arrows out of the retort, letting them drip a few times before wrapping them in a cloth and placing them back in the quiver. Both the quiver and the bow went on his back before he bottled the rest of the paralyze-silence poison and put it in his chest (he'd take it to the Vault when he returned, he thought). With one last check of his healing and sorcery potions he roused the napping atronach and stepped onto the portal to the Imperial City.

The Arcane University was quiet and dark, only the purple glow of the magic flames illuminating the grounds. Once he stepped off of the portal the atronach appeared behind him. When he ascended the stairs to leave the Battlemage guard spoke a soft greeting to him, but once he saw the giant Daedra lurking behind the Arch-Mage his hand flew to the hilt of his sword.

"Calm yourself, Angius, it's with me," Aryvis said, and the guard relaxed visibly as the mer and the atronach went through the door.

...

It was around midnight when Aryvis dismounted a little bit north of Fort Variela. His horse, Sarethi, was a beautiful young bay mare, the first thing he bought when he had the money. Her strong legs had carried him all over Cyrodiil, but with the portals at the Spire he never rode her anymore. She had needed long exercise.

But now she was quite content to settle down for a nap. In fact, as soon as he was off her back she folded her long legs and lay down. He sat down next to her, fully intent on waiting for the atronach to catch up, but suddenly his stomach let out an angry roar that reminded him of the lack of food therein. Sarethi whinnied in agreement.

Between the two of them, Aryvis' bag was six apples and an orange lighter, and after a long ride and a full stomach he settled down against her flank for a good nap.

...

"_Emero_."

Nothing.

"_Emero_," the atronach tried again, its large, icy brows lowering in frustration. Perhaps if it spoke in Cyrodiilic...

"Master," it grumbled as it prodded at the Dunmer's side. Aryvis mumbled in something that sounded like Daedric and turned away from it. Finally tired of waiting for him to awaken, it cast its frost spell and touched him yet again; he bolted upright with a gasp, one hand nursing the cold spot over his ribs.

"Dawn is breaking," the atronach murmured, turning toward the rising sun. Aryvis looked up; indeed, the sky was fading from a dark blue to purple, pink, and orange. He grumbled his thanks and stretched, cracking a few bones in his back as he sat up.

"Stay here, protect Sar for me," he said as he stood. The atronach nodded before a green cloud surrounded the mer and he disappeared. He walked to the fort, hidden under the cover of his spell from the woodland creatures and undead that would've attacked him otherwise. The spell dissipated as he opened the door; it required such attention and concentration that attempting to perform any other act would undo it. So, of course he planned on casting the spell yet again after he was inside, and he might've actually done it if he hadn't come face to back with the bloody, black robe of a necromancer adept.

He barely managed to contain a startled curse and he thanked Talos that he had closed the door silently. With a cocky amused grin he thought, _Should've paid attention, _and mouthed Wizard's Fury. The adept heard the whine of his magicka rushing to his palm, but by the time he turned around he was being flung back by the combined force of lightning, frost and fire magic as it struck him dead in his stomach. He let out a grunt of pain as he flew down a flight of steps and hit the wall below with a crack that made Aryvis grin cruelly.

He took a poison of separation from the body and moved on. The rest of the fort went likewise; his invisibility allowed him to get close to the necromancers so they were disposed of with ease. He garnered quite a few items from the various bodies and chests; by the time he had gone through the entire thing he was about fourteen potions, six poisons, and an elven dagger heavier.

But he had been through the fort and seen no one other than the usual subordinate necromancers, none reeking of importance as Mannimarco had. He was back to the initial level, standing on a raised platform that was only accessible by going through the second. He could see the path to the entrance from here; the door wasn't far. With a frustrated sigh he dropped to a crouch, drumming his fingers on his knee as he finally came to the conclusion that the Breton wasn't here.

That is, until a soft click made his ears twitch.

He retreated to a corner of the platform, blowing out the candle and hiding in the shadow it produced. In came a short man in black robes, the dark cloth sporting a skull held up by the hands of a skeleton. Though, along with the generic necromancer insignia was a wreath curling around either sides, much like the one Aryvis wore himself. He grinned.

Erelie was whistling a happy sailor's tune as he dragged a coffin across the stone floor. Aryvis' grin turned down into a grimace as he realized what the body in that coffin would become - it was to be Erelie's newest plaything. He needed to end the fetcher _now_. The bow was off of his back, a poisoned arrow pulled taut in its string, gloved fingers beside his ear. He held it there, holding his breath, and he was about to let fly when he heard a voice whisper in his ear.

_Very good, my child._

Aryvis blinked, lowering the bow. It would give him away to talk, so he just thought, _Who are you?_

The voice chuckled. _You know this already. I am a perfect, cloudless midnight, cold as winter ice and shrouded in shadow. I taint mortals red with blood and black with the darkness of the Void. I am... _The voice left the ending empty, as if in question.

_Sithis, _Aryvis thought, somehow frowning and smiling at the same time. It was an odd feeling, he didn't understand it, himself.

_Very good_, Sithis praised, though it sounded a bit mocking. _Now, you have been sent to rid Tamriel of that man, Maniel Erelie. I want his soul._

_His soul will be yours._

_Will it really? I sense a hesitance in you, Dunmer. You are not a heartless killer like the rest._

Aryvis remained silent for this, as it was true. So Sithis went on_, But this necromancer, he is worse than any of my own. He sweeps through small towns, taking up residence in a cave or fort nearby, and steals them one by one. The children always are first, taken from their beds in the dead of night. He kills them and harvests their souls for his gems, then uses their bodies as bait for the others._

The mer bristled, clenching his jaw as he was reminded why he hated necromancers.

_Their parents will sit awake at night, weeping over their lost child, when they see it standing at the edge of town through the window. They rush to greet the child, tripping over each other, tears of joy running down their faces, and grab that child in a tight, loving embrace. They don't smell the rotting flesh, feel the soft squelch of decay when they hold it, but they do hear the deep groan of the zombie as it bites into the mother's face._

A low growl rumbled in Aryvis' chest as black hate pooled inside him, seeming to spread and fill his body to the point that his vision darkened. Sithis hissed vicious words into his ears, his being seeming to coil and slither around the Arch-Mage like a snake. Each thump the coffin made brought a new level of malice upon him.

_Now, _kill him _for me_, Sithis growled, and Aryvis was too happy to oblige. He brought the bow back up, pulling the string taut as the arrow lay notched between his first two fingers, and let fly. The arrow whistled as it flew through the air, shooting straight into the back of the Breton's skull. There was a wet crack as the arrow buried itself in the necromancer's brain to the fletchings.

_Well done, _Sithis murmured, and he retreated from Aryvis' conciousness. He vaulted over the balcony's railing, ignoring the soft sting in his ankles when he landed, and picked up the chain that Erelie had been dragging.

He may be a killer, but he certainly wasn't heartless.

...

Aryvis pulled the large bronze door open, shuffling into the living quarters tiredly. He wanted a bath and a pillow, in that order.

"Good morning, Aryvis," Raminus called cheerily from their shared wardrobe. The Dunmer looked up at the bright smile and met it with a rather tired one of his own. He approached his housemate, wrapping one arm around his waist and pulling him into a chaste kiss. Raminus chuckled and pushed him away; "You have dirt on your face," he said, thumbing away a brown spot under his eye. "What on Mundus were you doing?"

Aryvis frowned. "I had to bury a little girl."

"Oh," the Master-Wizard sighed sadly, "Better to be in the grave than a necromancer's pawn."

Aryvis nodded before falling back on his bed rather ungracefully. "I'm just glad to be home; I'm tired."

"I can imagine, you've been out all night." Raminus said, walking over to the Dunmer as he pulled the tie out of his hair.

That wasn't why, exactly. Sithis' visit and subsequent withdrawal from his subconscious left him worn out, but he wasn't feeling it until he actually let himself rest. Which was now. Raminus observed his rather large yawn with a smile and leaned down to press his lips against a navy pair. "You need to sleep. I need to teach."

"I'll see you this afternoon, then," was the drowsy reply, and it matched the pair of sleep-dulled red eyes rather well.

"This afternoon."

Aryvis was snoring softly mere seconds after the portal went off.

...

A/N: Rawr! I'm so displeased with myself - with how long this took, with the sucky ending, with how long this took... (yes, I said that twice, that's how upset I am.) but I'm looking forward to this next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before it's up.

Live long and eat mangoes,

D0N


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Evening, all! I have a new name - .Br3aking. Cookies to the person who knows the reference! Anywho, I've been looking forward to this chapter XD. Enjoy the love!

**Nightlight6**: B) you rock my socks. And I am focusing on those two in this chapter, I hope you like it.

To **Twin Daggers**: aw, thank you! 3 I'm glad my summary amused you. I'm not sure what a fetcher is, exactly... ^^' all I know is that it's a Dunmeri insult. This chapter's all fluffy, so I think it will please you. And we'll see about the magic fight. ;)

P.S.: you guys who know what Frostcrag Spire is like, I'm changing the portal in the living quarters from the balcony-type thingy to a bathroom.

...

The next few contracts went without a hitch - kill a nobleman in Chorrol, a crazy hist addict in Blackwood, a merchant on his way to the Imperial City but DON'T USE MAGIC BECAUSE WE WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE A MAULING - and he received quite a few Septims for each. He would have what he needed in no time. But Raminus was smart; he would, no doubt, wonder where the money had come from to fund such an undertaking. This is what had him running around Cyrodiil, doing favors for people, accepting coin here and there so he could exaggerate it later and pretend that he _hadn't _been killing people for the past month.

But he'd thought it would be easy.

"Damn Narina Carvain," was the first thing he growled when he stomped into the Spire.

Raminus was sitting on his bed, trying his hardest to maintain a sphere of frost that was set alight with fire and shock magic. Which completely dissipated the moment he turned his attention to the angry Dunmer on the other side of the room. "Why?"

"The Countess of Bruma sent her damned servant after me so I could get her some Akaviri artifact from the damn _Skyrim border_," he hissed. Raminus missed how he flinched when he pulled his robe off. "And all I got for it was a damn _ring!"_

The Master-Wizard did notice, however, that he had never heard the word 'damn' come out of Aryvis' mouth that many times in one breath. "Then sell it."

"I can't," he murmured, twirling the gold circle between his forefinger and thumb. "Well, I don't want to. Something tells me I'll need it later."

Raminus snorted, beginning his ball of ice again. "Well, you can sit around and mope until you find out when that 'later' is," he joked until Aryvis turned to put his robe in the wardrobe and he caught a glimpse of the purple bruising spread across his back and shoulders. "My _GODS_, Aryvis, what _happened_?"

"I passed a few ogres on the way," the Dunmer answered matter-of-factly, reaching inside the closet for a loose linen shirt.

"I see," the Imperial murmured, an immovable frown setting into his face. He watched as Aryvis flinched while trying to pull on the shirt until he finally snapped, "Aryvis, put the gods-dammed shirt _down_."

The Dunmer followed Raminus' order with a curious frown, then approached the bed he was sitting on when a curled finger summoned him. But he couldn't help but ask a question, "What are you doing?"

"I want to be sure it's only bruised - a hard enough hit can break skin," Raminus murmured, pulling the younger mage down to sit in front of him. He scrutinized the dark purple bruising, moving Aryvis' hair this way and that to get it out of the way so he could see.

"I think I would know if I had cuts on my back," the mer muttered, "It was actually worse than this, I healed some because it hurt a lot more to walk than it does now."

"I just want to check, Aryvis, _relax_," the Master-Wizard said, his voice almost pleading.

Aryvis sighed before finally speaking, "If you say soOOOW! _Stop_, Raminus, what on Mundus are you _doing!"_

"I told you to relax," was all he said before smoothing his hands across violet shoulders. Aryvis sucked in a sharp breath, trying to lean away from the other's hands, but he heard Raminus mutter a few words and a wave of calm pulsed through him. The tingle of magicka against his skin mixed with the slight sting of pain as the sore muscles began to feel the gentle ministrations of warm hands and deft fingers. A soft sigh quickly grew into a full-fledged moan as the heel of Raminus' hand pressed between his shoulder blades.

The Master-Wizard smiled, deciding that he quite liked that sound, and pressed into the spot harder, rubbing small circles against the Dunmer's spine with a light heal other spell. "If you still want me to stop, I will..."

"_No,_" Aryvis snapped, perhaps a little too quickly, "Don't you _dare_."

Of course, Raminus hadn't any intention on stopping anyway. Even if his voice had denied it, his body was enjoying it too much for the Master-Wizard to even listen. Beneath those horrific bruises were enormous knots; whatever he did away from the Guild was stressing him greatly. Raminus was honestly surprised the mer could sleep. The muscles below his shoulder blades fell victim to his touch - he moved up to the place where neck met shoulder and smiled at the whimper that fluttered off of his tongue.

Aryvis hummed contentedly, leaning against the soft vibrations of the spell on his back. Already he could feel the blood beginning to move through the muscles there, the vessels healing and patching together. He wouldn't want to be in any other place at this moment, sitting comfortably on Raminus' bed with this pleasant tingle pulsing through his body, the Master-Wizard's hands massaging the pain out of his shoulders. The stress of being a paid assassin left in little bits with every sigh and sound he made. His eyes fell shut in contentment, a pleasant smile spread across his lips, which widened when Raminus' arms found their way around his stomach.

"Where did you learn to _touch _like that?" he sighed, leaning back into the embrace. The soft fabric of Raminus' shirt felt nice against his still-sensitive skin.

"When I was an Associate, one of the older mages taught me," he whispered before placing a light kiss to the mer's temple. "It's a shame she retired; her skills in restoration are unsurpassed."

A lazy smile crossed Aryvis' features. "You learned _very _well."

Raminus buried his face into the Dunmer's hair, hiding the blush that had bloomed across his face. Not that he could see it. "Do you want to take a bath, or are you going to fall asleep in my lap again?"

"Can I do both?"

"Go wash, Aryvis," Raminus said, a playfully scolding tone to his voice as he pushed the other away. Aryvis got up, stretched - the Imperial took this time to admire the flexing muscles in his lower back and sides - and grabbed some sleeping clothes before stepping on the portal to the bathing room.

It was much like the rest of the Spire; walls consisting of large, gray stones accompanied by sweeping arcs of metal, Mages' Guild banners hanging from every available surface, and a multitude of candles placed both on the chandelier overhead and stands about the room. It was roomy, but not too large, with a shape sort of like the outline of an eight. The portal he had just appeared on was in the upper, smaller section, and the actual room was the lower half.

Okay, maybe it wasn't a _proportionate _eight, but it was close to one.

Opposite from where he stood was a large mirror, and he could see his reflection from there. He stepped down from the portal, undoing the strings to his breeches as he approached the tub. It was large and circular, at least five feet across the middle, made with white stone and filled with steaming hot water. Aryvis observed this with a smile; Raminus must have filled it for him. It wasn't as painstaking as one would believe, though.

He had learned upon reading the tome in the altar room that almost everything in the Spire responded to Ayleid. Therefore, the Imperial must have spoken the words for hot and water, _molag_* and _relle_*, and let the tub fill. It was kept warm for as long as he used it; the same pit of lava in the conservatory was used to heat the water. It flowed in a constant cycle to keep it from solidifying, and because of that the water swirled in lazy circles. Beside the pool was a chest full of bath soaps and the like; Aryvis picked out one of his favorites, a thick, minty scent that made his nose tingle when he smelled it, and poured most of its contents into the tub. The nearly-empty bottle he sat on the tub's edge, and he stepped away to remove his clothes. By the time returned, the bath was full of light bubbles. Eager to feel the soothing warmth of the bath he jumped in without testing it first, only to hold himself up with his hands and feet on the edges when the scalding liquid touched his skin.

"_Mafre, mafre, mafre*_," he hissed, then spoke a heal minor wounds spell because he _knew _he'd burned himself. Only when his lower back and thighs stopped stinging and the cloud of steam around him thinned a little did he let himself down into the water.

Once his body was submerged in warm, tingling water that he found acceptable he took a deep breath and went under, immersing his hair and coming back up with a crown of suds. He spent a good twenty minutes washing it with the remainder of the soap but ran through cleaning his body because he was looking forward to sleeping in Raminus' lap. Nevertheless his skin was near-raw when he got out - force of habit, he had always overdone it - and spoke the Ayleid word for begone, "_Heca_," watching in slight fascination as the water disappeared into a small drain at the bottom of the tub, leaving behind miscellaneous patches of suds that would be gone by morning.

Dressed in breeches that went just below his knees, his bare torso feeling slightly cold thanks to the mint soap, he teleported back to the living quarters to find Raminus sitting cross-legged on the bed, his nose in a book yet again. Just to get his attention he spoke in a childish whine, "Rami, I burned myself. Can I have another massage?"

"How on Mundus did you manage to burn yourself, _Ary?_" he lowered the book just enough to show the amusement in his eyes, and added the last word with a playful inflection to his voice.

"The water was too hot."

"Of course," he put the book down and sat up so Aryvis could fit between his legs. "Come on, you little masochist."

The Dunmer smiled. "That's true, you know," but instead of just sitting down like the Master-Wizard expected, he crawled up the bed and pressed their lips together in a soft kiss. Raminus' eyes fell shut almost instantly, a pleasant shiver running through his body, and when Aryvis' tongue pressed against his lips he opened his mouth to meet it with his own. His hand moved to rest on the Arch-Mage's lower back, where he felt the too-smooth skin of the water's burn. He broke away long enough to whisper a spell, but allowed his mouth to be recaptured after his hand began to glow with magicka.

Aryvis sighed against his tongue at the first touch, and he let out a small, pleased sound when Raminus' palm lay flat on the small of his back. The Imperial smiled at this and healed the patches of burnt skin, enticing a variety of sighs and whimpers from the Arch-Mage. His hand continued along the trail, following the smooth spots down his spine...

Until it met the waistline of his breeches.

Aryvis felt the magicka pool in the small of his back, sensed Raminus' hesitance as it rolled off of the Master-Wizard in waves. He pulled away and fixed the Imperial with an inquisitive red stare.

Raminus just sort of gaped at him for a few seconds, his hand sending an unnecessary amount of magicka to a spot that had been healed long ago. To recapture his attention Aryvis pressed his lips to his nose and told him that he was a prude. At first a fierce blush spread across his cheekbones like wildfire, a sight that greatly amused the Arch-Mage, but then he frowned and managed to get out a denial.

"Prove it."

The blush intensified, Raminus could feel it, and he thought that he probably looked like he had been hit in the face with a tomato. He took a shallow breath around the lump in his throat and said, "I don't have to prove anything to you."

"I knew it," Aryvis laughed, laying down more comfortably between the Master-Wizard's legs. "Stop casting on me and relax; I'm ready to sleep."

He wasn't sure what the response was, even though it sounded a bit like _thank the Gods, _and the steady thrum of magicka to his lower back stopped. Raminus leaned back and folded his arms behind his head, golden eyes closing and a relieved expression adorning his face. Aryvis laced his fingers together over the Imperial's ribs, resting his chin there and closing his eyes before murmuring a single word.

"_Lorsel_."

And the room was bathed in darkness.

...

When Aryvis woke the next morning he really didn't want to move; his back and shoulders were sore and his thighs stung in reminiscent pain. The fact that Raminus had healed him didn't mean much, really, since the healing fixed what was broken or damaged but still left you feeling sore. Although, when he thought about it, he was actually much better off than he should've been thanks to the rather thorough massage that had accompanied the healing.

"For that I give you my thanks," he murmured quietly, placing a light kiss to a still-asleep Raminus' clothed stomach before carefully - painfully - rising off of the bed. He stretched a little, clenching his teeth all the while, before murmuring a healing spell because his thighs had never gotten the same attention his back had.

"Prude," he whispered fondly, pulling on his Arch-Mage's robes and pocketing the more-or-less nine thousand Septims he'd earned over the past few weeks. It was time to begin his project - it was already the twenty-fourth of Midyear, and he only had until the fifteenth of Sun's Height to finish. So he closed the door silently behind him on his way out to the Imperial City.

By the time he made it to Divine Elegance, Palonirya was just unlocking the door. "Good morning, Arch-Mage," she said sweetly, opening the door to the notorious clothing store. None of the candles were lit, but the early morning sunshine through the windows lit the shop well enough. Nevertheless he helped the Altmer light the half-melted cylinders of wax systematically placed about the room, casting a light golden glow at the level of Aryvis' waist.

"What can I help you with?" she asked, pulling out the various items of jewelry to put on display in the case that doubled as her sales counter.

"I need a few things," he said, pulling a list of stuff he needed for Raminus' gift. She looked at him expectantly and he read off everything that she would have - a gold necklace in the same shape as his Spelldrinker's Amulet, a flawless topaz, and a flawless sapphire. She was able to supply two of the three; her last flawless topaz had been bought the day before.

"You could try Red Diamond Jewelry, though, I'm sure Hamlof has a few left," she suggested, though Aryvis would rather wait for her to get more. Dealing with Nords was not a generally enjoyable situation to him. And _no_, that _isn't _racist, Talos forbid he think such a thing. Even if they are illiterate brutes.

So he paid for his items - a little over five hundred Septims, it felt like such a small price compared to what he had - and left. Now he needed a petty soul gem and quite a few alchemy ingredients, which he probably had in abundance back at the Spire. Perfect. With a happy smile spread across his face he stopped in the Tiber Septim to buy a few sweetrolls and made his way back home.

Raminus was still asleep by the time he arrived, eyes twitching under their lids and his lips just barely parted. Aryvis frowned in slight worry; the Master-Wizard slept lightly, he knew it, so the fact that he had slept through the two times he'd opened the door was odd. Besides, he should've been awake by now anyway. But then he remembered the generous amount of magicka that Raminus had used the night before and smiled; such liberal use of magic must have tired him out.

Nevertheless he was beginning to miss the Imperial's company, so after changing into some more comfortable clothes - since he really didn't plan on going anywhere else today - he took a sweetroll out of the box and held it in front of his face.

At first his nose twitched, then his nostrils flared and a furrow set itself between his eyebrows. Aryvis watched silently, a wide, amused smile spread across his lips, as Raminus drew in a large breath and one eye opened.

"Morning, sleepy," the Dunmer murmured cheerfully, "I brought you breakfast."

He opened his other eye and took a bite. "Thank you," he spoke around the pastry, and Aryvis made a face.

"I'm not here to feed you," he smiled, biting into his own as he sat on Raminus' bed. After a short silence in which the Master-Wizard wolfed down his sweetroll, he sucked the honey from his fingers and asked, "How's your back?"

"Better than it should be," the Dunmer grumbled, stretching at the thought, "It was still sore this morning, but it wore off a little."

"Good; the bruises should be lighter by now, and they'll be gone in a few days. Two weeks or less."

"Would they go away faster if I got another massage?"

Raminus chuckled and got up. "You're incredibly insatiable, you know that?"

"You're good at it, is all," the Dunmer mumbled dejectedly. The Master-Wizard never thought he'd see the day, but a light shade of purple had replaced the normal indigo color of his cheekbones. Frankly, it was _adorable_, and Raminus decided that he'd love to see Aryvis blush more often.

This is why he wrapped his arms around the mer's torso, pressing his nose into the soft hair behind his pointed ear and inhaling deeply; his hair smelled like mint, one of his favorite scents. "I suppose..." he began, "Since you appreciate my fingers so much, I could use them more often."

Aryvis coughed, a sound that was half laughter and half surprise. Raminus smiled knowingly, since he noticed the deeper tone of purple painted across the bridge of the Dunmer's nose, and simply chuckled when he let out a raspy, "_What?"_

_"_I told you I'm not a prude."

...

A/N: XD had sooo much fun writing this, as long as it took. Damn my busy life.

So those Ayleid words I used are loosely translated. Molag means fire, relle means rivers, and Mafre means frost. Lorsel means dark halls; I just thought it was close enough.

Quick question - if (when) these two get it on, who do you think will be on top? Just curious ;P


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: so I know this chapter is short, but I wanted it to be done before I go away to army camp for six days, so I'll just start working on another as soon as I get back.

**Nightlight6**: oh, Raminus _so _isn't a prude. You'll see why in a few seconds. Thank you, enjoy the chapter!

...

Aryvis took the next few weeks to immerse himself in the job he was actually supposed to be doing. He hadn't taught a class at the University in a full two weeks; he was trying to get in the mind set to finally create Raminus' gift. After all, it took an immense amount of concentration. So now he ate, slept, and breathed magic. It actually wasn't that hard to do once he didn't have to worry about some new contract, he'd been raised to do it, and just being back in the environment of the University helped a great deal.

That doesn't mean it was without distraction, however.

The fact that he was at the University all day meant that he was more or less with Raminus all day. They passed one another at least three times within an hour and if neither had a pressing matter to attend to said distractions could get quite... entertaining. Whenever one caught the other in a spare moment he would drag them into an alley or corner and ravish his mouth, bruising his lips and biting his tongue, and the other would respond with fervor. By the time they managed to extricate themselves from each other, they couldn't wait to do it again in the next twenty minutes, more or less.

So much for concentrating on his magic.

But right now it had his full attention. He was in his old quarters, searching the bookshelves for an old tome on soul gems that he absolutely _needed_. But as many times as he looked, he didn't see it. He was just about to rip his hair out because he _knew _he hadn't taken it to the Spire, and Talos knows he loves his hair, so this was an extremely big deal.

Raminus caught him on the verge of panic, thumping his forehead against the edge of the bookshelf he was leaning on. With a small frown he put the box he was holding on the dresser in front of the bed before silently moving over to the Arch-Mage, placing his hands on robed shoulders and casting a soft calm spell.

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating so many sweetrolls," Aryvis said without opening his eyes, having smelled the warm pastry from across the room.

The Imperial chuckled. "It's a guilty pleasure. Besides, this one's for you."

"I'll eat when I find my book," he grumbled, a furrow setting itself between his brows.

"Which one?"

"_A Dissertation on the Creation and Use of Soul Gems_."

"Tar-Meena has it," Raminus said, and Aryvis' eyes flashed open. "She needed to do some research, I hope you don't mind."

"Gods, you just know everything, don't you?" the Dunmer smiled cheerily, turning around to hug Raminus and nuzzle his face into that crevice between his ear and shoulder.

The Imperial laughed, wrapping his arms around the Arch-Mage's waist. "I try. Do you want to get it now?"

"No, we finally got some time alone."

"We get time alone all the time," the Master-Wizard pointed out.

"Not like this, we don't."

Raminus opened his mouth to respond but was cut off as Aryvis' lips descended upon his own. He wasn't complaining, of course not, but why did he need the book on soul gems when he was teaching a class on alchemy this afternoon? How odd... Then his curious mind went blank as the Dunmer's hand moved to his side and a spot alongside his ribs was brushed.

"... taste like honey," Aryvis murmured into the kiss, delving deeper into Raminus' mouth. He liked that taste on the Imperial; it suited him well. Not to mention the little purr he let out when the Arch-Mage ran his hand up his ribs. It was so cute, but in a way that was exclusive to the Master-Wizard - a way that he only appreciated in Raminus.

Aryvis' deepening of the kiss forced Raminus back a step, and he actually would've taken it if they hadn't fallen back onto the bed. The Arch-Mage chuckled, not missing a beat as he peppered tiny kisses from Raminus' jaw up to his ear. He wanted to hear that adorable little sound again; his hand came up to caress the Master-Wizard's ribs, nails scratching lightly, and he heard what he wanted before Raminus grabbed the back of his neck.

"_Stop doing that_," he hissed into a pointed ear, though it was definitely one of those 'stop's that he didn't mean. Aryvis ignored him, pulling the collar of his robes open a little so he could harshly bite the Imperial's shoulder. Raminus gasped, his hand moving up into the Dunmer's hair and tightening there; a small ripple of masochistic pleasure shot through him and he couldn't contain the soft moan that escaped as a result.

"Aryvis, someone's going to-"

The Arch-Mage cut him off with another nip at his shoulder. "No one comes in here anymore. Nothing's going to happen."

"But we're at the _University_."

"Your point?"

Raminus sighed, pushing Aryvis' chin away with the heel of his hand. "Ary, **no.**"

The sting of chomping down into his tongue cut right through the slight haze of lust the Arch-Mage was feeling. "_Ow_."

"I'm not saying no, I'm just saying not right now. We both have classes to teach."

"I'm going to hold you to that," he murmured, pressing a light kiss to Raminus' neck before standing and fixing his robes.

"Of course you will," he smiled and got up. "Eat; Talos knows you never take a break when you're working. I'll see you in a little while."

With that he fixed his own robes, shared a short kiss with Aryvis, and disappeared after stepping on the glowing purple portal to the rest of the University. The Arch-Mage sighed, sitting on the bed and biting into the sweetroll Raminus left him. The honey didn't taste as good as it did on the Master-Wizard's tongue, but he hadn't eaten all day so it sated him well enough.

When Raminus materialized in the lobby he was met with a sarcastic smile delivered by Bothiel. "Gods, what do you _want_?"

"Have fun?" the Bosmer asked, crossing her arms. "You and the Arch-Mage were gone for a while."

The Imperial frowned. "Are we really that transparent?"

"Transparent isn't the word for it," she murmured, looking up pensively. "It's more like... obvious, apparent, definite. Explicit, even."

"Oh, well," he sighed, sitting down on the bench closest to him. He actually didn't give much of a damn; he was happy with Aryvis, and if the Arch-Mage wasn't happy with him, they wouldn't be living together. Who cared if anyone else knew.

...

"Aryv... Ary, _relax_, for Gods' sake, we... We just got _home_."

"Shut up," Aryvis murmured playfully, scratching at that spot along Raminus' ribs that rendered him silent. When the Imperial's words were reduced to a low moan he grinned and leaned down to attack his neck.

"Someone... _ah_, someone's eager," Raminus tried to tease, but it was interrupted by a soft gasp as Aryvis sucked at the side of his neck.

"Gods, yes," he spoke into the damp skin, picking the Master-Wizard up by his hips and meeting his lips in a long, deep kiss.

Raminus' arms came up around the Arch-Mage's shoulders, his teeth lightly biting the other's lower lip. It was interesting to finally see - feel - those glorious muscles of his work; Aryvis picked him up with ease. Raminus couldn't help the subtle quickening of his heartbeat when he murmured a single word against his lips.

"_Lorsel_."

...

Aryvis gently lowered himself into the bath, letting out a shaky sigh as the warm water enveloped his body. Talos knows he never took baths in the morning - he had things to do - but, by the Nine, he needed it. He wasn't even there to wash, really; he had chosen a lavender/aloe bath soap in an attempt to soothe the ache in his backside. He grasped the bridge of his nose, eyes falling shut as he just breathed and let the scent and feel permeate his very being.

He was actually almost asleep when Raminus entered the room. The Imperial glanced at him curiously, taking in his comfortable but not-completely-relaxed posture and the smell that reminded him of lavender. With a small, complacent smile he made his way over to the Dunmer with silent steps and placed his hands on indigo shoulders.

"It's morning now, Ary," he murmured quietly, "Time to wake up."

"I know, I didn't get much sleep last night," he added the last part with a smile.

"And whose fault is that?"

Aryvis laughed. "Yours, sera."

"It is not," Raminus pressed a hand to his heart, putting on an over-dramatic display of shock. "Maybe if a certain Arch-Mage hadn't been so Gods-damned _pushy _last night, he could've slept."

"If you didn't want to participate, you should've stopped me," he sighed, leaning back against the edge of the tub. "I don't have any classes today; I'm staying home."

"Go ahead, I'm sure you need to recover from what I did to you last night," these words were delivered with a mischievous grin, and Raminus leaned over the Arch-Mage's head so he could see it.

Aryvis looked up at him, a cute little pout on his face, and the Master-Wizard was about to laugh at him when a small jolt of electricity flared around a bite mark on his shoulder. He hissed, a hand to the spot, and the Dunmer's hand glowed slightly with magicka. "Recover from that."

"Funny."

...

After Raminus was gone Aryvis got to work on his gift. He gathered the ingredients - a flawless topaz and sapphire, the amulet shell and a full petty soul gem, along with a freshly made fortify magicka and restoration potions. He planned on enchanting the stones the same way he had done the arrows, but instead of mixing the two potions he would do one on one stone and one on the other. So he set up two retorts, one from the lab and one of his own set. The magicka potion flowed into one, a light pink color, and the restoration was a translucent blue. His fire spell lit the wicks underneath, and before long the room was filled with the sweet smell of the two potions.

In went the topaz and sapphire, to which he didn't really care. They would boil until he was finished applying the enchantment to the actual amulet. In his chest was a portion of water from an Ayleid well - it was very susceptible to magic and therefore perfect for enchanting. He could use the altar of enchanting down in the altar room, but where would the hard work be in that?

So he drew a small circle on the floor with the water, completing the Mages' Guild sign inside. The amulet went in the very center; the soul gem and the Arch-Mage sat on opposite sides of it. Upon reading the soul gem book that Tar-Meena had borrowed, he figured out a way to reverse the Soul Trap spell. This would allow him to free the soul from the gem and re-trap it in the amulet.

A long string of arcane words fell from his lips, causing the Ayleid well water to glow a bright blue. If anyone else had been there they would have noticed how his eyes shone the same color and his hair, slightly wet and hanging free down below his shoulder blades, began to swirl around his face. Before him the soul gem shook violently before the translucent form of a timber wolf rose from the smooth stone. It stepped forward, over the amulet, and lifted its head in a loud, clear howl before disappearing into the gold jewelry.

Aryvis snapped out of his trance with force, as if someone had punched him in the chest. He hit the floor on his back, panting as he recovered from the breathless speech he had been letting out. _Gods_, the things he did for Raminus... The circle of water was dry and the soul gem had disintegrated. There was a throbbing ache in his shoulders and the back of his head, his magicka was almost exhausted and... And...

"_Dammit_," he hissed, jumping up to run to the retorts on the alchemy lab. The potions were burned out, the sweet smell replaced by a bitter singed smell. He quickly blew out the fires, placing his hands over the tops and casting a frost spell to cool the probably scalding gems. But now that they were too cold to touch, he had to dispel the circle.

If he stood on the floor while casting a dispel on it he wouldn't be able to cast spells for a week - previous experience, don't ask - so he drank a potion of sorcery and leaned forward on his hands. The room turned upside down as his body straightened into a handstand, toes pointed upward and shirt hanging in his face, and the words for a dispel spell fell from his lips in a thick, ancient tongue.

Waves of blue pulsed from his hands outward throughout the floor, and the imprint showed up once again before fading out. Aryvis dropped from his handstand, gathered the ingredients in a small bag, and headed off to Palonirya's. Raminus' birthday was in six days - once she was done crafting the amulet, his present would be finished.

...

A/N: okay, that wasn't too short, was it? I a should've done longer, I just wanted it done... Well, who expected Raminus to be on top? XD


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm not dead! I didn't die! Gosh I'm sorry but I've been volunteering at camps and going places and... Eeeh, too much stuff goin' on. Army camp was great and all but I told my parents if I ask to go next year, slap me. **Not **fun.

Anyhoo, as for your review:

**Nightlight6: **I actually have no idea why it's called Kismet, that just happened to be the dictionary(dot)com word of the day when I uploaded the first chapter. If you have a better title, please tell me!

...

Raminus sighed, closing another book. He was insanely bored, and when even books couldn't sate such a feeling it was a serious thing.

Aryvis was at the University, setting up for his birthday party, no doubt. He'd told the Dunmer that he didn't want one, but he hadn't been afraid to pull position and quite literally ordered the Master-Wizard into having one. But along with the forced party came an equally imperious order to stay at the Spire. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the University, lest he ruin the spectacular surprise he was sure to walk into later that day. The result of which was that he was bored out of his mind.

He cast an irritated glance at the bookshelf beside him; he was sure he'd read every single book therein at least twice. Sure, it was fun to recap in his free time, but now he had far too much of it and there was no enjoyment in it. Honestly, no one should _ever _be this miserable on their birthday, and he wasn't even allowed to step out of the house...

Wait.

Aryvis was at the University, would probably be there all day.

He wouldn't be back to the Spire until around nine.

Which meant Raminus was free to do as he pleased.

A smile spread across his face as he took the portal up to the living quarters. He could go all the way over to Anvil and Aryvis would never know. Time to get himself his own birthday present.

...

Aryvis put his arms behind his head, looking at the grounds with an appreciative smile. He had really outdone himself this time, if he did say so.

The University campus was covered in festive decorations, all in anticipation of Raminus' party. Long strings of lanterns stretched from the lobby in the center outwards, connecting to the buildings along the outer wall. The small candles inside would light easily with the help of a flare spell after dusk, casting a soft golden glow to the campus.

An enchanted powder dropped into each of the pink fires turned them white, and a special surprise was contained in a box hidden among the plants in the terrace on the right end of the University grounds. The scholars and apprentices were soon to be dressed in finery, but for now many of them were disappearing into the lobby to set up. Julienne Fanis was creating a magnificent cake in her shop, and Gaspar Stegine and Borissean were busy mixing up drinks - a well-versed knowledge of both alcohol and alchemy was a good thing to have.

Everything was either ready or well on its way; before long he'd be able to get Raminus for his party.

...

Raminus had barely taken two steps into the Spire before he shed his robes. They were soaked through; it had been raining quite harshly in Leyawiin, but it was worth it. The residents in Guild there had wished him a happy birthday and he had made potions with them for a few hours. Afterwards he had gone out into the city just to be outside, enjoying the warmth of the day, when a cloud cover rolled in from absolutely nowhere. He had been on the other side of town when the first few drops had turned into a torrential downpour in about four seconds.

So when he finally settled himself into the warm bath water, smelling of citrus and brimming with suds, he couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction. His cold, damp skin took to the temperature quite quickly, and goosebumps rose up his arms and shoulders. Gods, he _loved _this house... Not even the emperor had this sort of luxury, he doubted it at least. (A/N: I know this takes place after the Mages Guild questline, but Aryvis isn't the Champion of Cyrodiil. Uriel isn't dead yet.) He was well on his way to a nap when the portal's soft hum reached his ears. A small smile graced his lips but he pretended to sleep otherwise.

"You're so adorable when you're asleep," Aryvis' voice was soft against his ear, almost a whisper. "I'm almost tempted to let you stay here."

At that Raminus let out a loud snore, breaking into peals of laughter when his lover jumped about ten feet into the air. Aryvis just glared at him, holding a hand to his chest as if his heart had burst. "Gods, you _have _to stop doing that."

"Lighten up," the Master-Wizard smiled, turning around to face the Dunmer.

Aryvis couldn't help but laugh at how _hilarious _Raminus found his little heart attack. The smile on his face was contagious, honey eyes full of mirth as he leaned back in the tub, exposing his golden-tanned chest. "Fine," he smiled, mumbling a few words to cast a light spell on himself.

"Not what I meant," the Imperial said, and the grin that spread across his face was a tad frightening before he drew in a large breath and disappeared below the cloud of white suds. A sense of dread crept into Aryvis' spine right before Raminus' hand shot out of the water, grabbed a fistful of the Dunmer's robe and _yanked_. A startled cry was all he could get out as he fell into the tub.

Aryvis broke the surface of the water with a gasp, turning sharply to the other as he split his sides laughing. "Oh, you are an _ass _for that," he growled playfully, grabbing Raminus by the shoulders and forcing him under. The Master-Wizard had anticipated it, though, and had time to take a breath. He popped back up rather quickly and turned an accusing finger on the Arch-Mage.

"Aryvis, it's my birthday," he stated much like a teacher scolding his student, "You aren't allowed to chastise me today."

"Yes, Raminus," he smiled, pressing his lips against the Imperial's temple. This didn't satisfy Raminus; he turned his head and they shared a slow, deep kiss. The Imperial's hands moved to Aryvis' shoulders, fingers grasping the robe's wet material there, and began to pull. To be honest, sex in the tub sounded a lot better than a party, and he hoped the Arch-Mage shared his point of view.

But, of course, Aryvis pulled away too soon, before Raminus could get a good grip on the clothes in his way. Instead he leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Right now, we have a party to go to. You can have me all you like when we get back."

It was with a huff of impatience that he accepted that, leaning back to look Aryvis dead in the eyes. Amusement lay there, with an undertone of lust that was impossible to miss. "Oh, I _promise _you that... Fine. I'll suffer through your party."

"Relax, Raminus, it'll be fun," the Dunmer smiled innocently. "Your hair gets darker when it's wet," he noticed, a look of curious concentration falling upon his face. "Why is it silver in the first place?"

"I was born with it," Raminus answered simply.

"Really?"

He shrugged; "It makes sense to me; I'm an old man at heart."

Aryvis frowned at him for all of three seconds before grinning happily and pulling himself out of the tub. "Tonight we celebrate how old you really are."

Raminus rolled his eyes and stood, wrapping the towel he had waiting around his waist and shaking out his hair. He couldn't help the chuckle that rumbled in his chest as Aryvis complained about his soaked robes but kept going to the portal otherwise. By the time he was completely dry and pulling on his breeches and robe the Arch-Mage had changed his, and was sitting on the bed waiting for him.

"Alright, let's get this over with," he deadpanned, but the smile in his eyes told Aryvis that he didn't mean it.

Which, of course, led to him getting up, pulling Raminus into a soft embrace, and meeting his lips in a gentle kiss. "You're a terrible actor."

"If you say so," he smiled, leaned up for another quick kiss, and walked out of the door. When he materialized at the University, he couldn't help but take in a soft gasp of surprise.

Aryvis had barely enough time to see Raminus' reaction, but when he did follow the Imperial to the University he had to look around in wonder as well.

The sky was completely dark, the shapes of Masser and Secunda bright crescents far above the hanging lanterns. The fires inside burned with abandon, and ashes floated along with each light breeze. The now-white fires on the ground cast a bright shimmer on everything out of reach of the orange glow. As magical as that place usually felt, it was even more so tonight.

Aryvis felt his smile widen as Raminus looked around, a light of appreciative wonder shining in his eyes. He looked like a child in a bakery (couldn't say candy store, could I?), a soldier in an armory - totally and completely in his element. Aryvis was happy to follow him as he walked the grounds like he'd never been there before, inspecting every little detail that had changed.

"Master Raminus!"

The both of them looked up the stairs at a blonde Breton girl in green robes. She ran down the steps and plowed Raminus in a hug, forcing him back a few steps. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Alix," he smiled.

Aryvis noticed a black shape in the corner of his eye and turned to glance at the top of the staircase yet again - there stood a man. Black robes, golden skin, brown hair coaxed to stand up straight...

Okay, maybe it was an Altmer.

Green eyes met red and the former raised a light brown brow, all palpable sarcasm and solid derision; the latter cursed and narrowed his eyes, his glare dark with disbelief and expectant hate. _No, no, no, Gods _damn _it she better not have!_

Right as he was thinking that Alix's voice cut into his thoughts. "Master Raminus, this is Eraamion."

She _did_.

Aryvis realized this right before his palm made rather hard contact with his face. Eraamion descended the stairs, arrogance in his very _stride_, and didn't even acknowledge the Arch-Mage before approaching Alix and Raminus. "Good evening, Master Raminus," he said coolly, "Happy birthday. I hear you have a certain interest in vampires? You'll find a tome among the mountain of gifts that should be to your liking."

"My thanks," Raminus smiled, shaking his outstretched hand. Aryvis watched this through his fingers and glared at Alix at the same time.

"This is quite an extravagant celebration you have."

"Oh, Aryv- the Arch-Mage threw it for me."

He may have corrected himself quickly, but Eraamion caught it. His green gaze shifted to the Dunmer in question, and his lips formed a speculative frown. "Indeed."

That one muscle in the small of Aryvis' back tightened considerably, and he could feel heat begin to creep in behind his nostrils.

"You two know each other?" Raminus was completely lost.

"They had a brief... encounter in Bruma a few weeks ago," Alix cut in, "But it's _over with."_

Both mer turned to glare at the Breton, but Eraamion quickly recaptured Raminus' attention in some conversation about the Akavir. Aryvis just about stomped over to her and hissed furiously, "Why on _Mundus _did you bring him?"

"Why shouldn't I have?"

"Because he's a damn _s'wit, _that's why! You could've brought Fadril, Jimsyn... You could've brought J'zhirra, for all I care! But th-"

"None of them are my boyfriend, Arch-Mage." she cut him off, arms crossed and brown gaze level.

At this point Aryvis thought his head would explode. "What... He... You... You're letting him _court _you?"

"I happen to enjoy his company," she stated flatly and turned to look at him as he and Raminus conversed. "Seems like you're the only one who doesn't."

"Aren't you the one who called him a pariah?"

"He is. That doesn't mean everyone should hate him."

Aryvis sighed. "If you say so."

"Alright, enough," she huffed, uncrossing her arms. There was a nervous scratch at the back of her head before she spoke again. "I'm ruining your party. We'll leave soon - I just wanted to wish Master Raminus a happy birthday, give him his book and get back to Bruma - and in the meantime, we'll stay out of your way. Go get your man."

He flinched at the last sentence and glared at her grin as she went to the talking males, took Eraamion's hand and led him away. With the conversation over Raminus had regained his full attention.

"He was nice," the Master-Wizard observed distractedly, much too occupied with threading his fingers between those of the Arch-Mage. His other hand brushed through the colorful foliage as they walked.

"I suppose," he mused. Maybe, if he gave the stuck-up Altmer a chance, he might not be such a pain. "Did you eat today? And don't say sweetrolls."

"First of all, I didn't have any sweetrolls today," Raminus laughed, pushing the Dunmer away playfully, "But no, I didn't have a chance to eat before I got soaked."

"Got soaked?"

He nodded. "It rained Lake Rumare in Leyawiin."

"You weren't supposed to leave the house."

"I know, Master," Raminus sighed dramatically, "I'm _so _sorry."

"Uncalled for." they mounted the stairs, "But seriously, what'd you do today?"

"Made potions with Agata," he responded simply as they entered the lobby, "I was going to get some lunch at the Five Claws, but it started to rain before I even got close. I'm _starving_."

"Good."

Aryvis pressed a light kiss to his temple before leading him to the portal. As soon as the short buzz of teleportation brought them up a floor Raminus nearly jumped up to the chandelier in response to the rather robust greeting of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMINUS!"

After a few seconds, when his pulse had decreased to something plausible, he took in a breath to speak. "Thank you, all of you. As many times as I told Aryvis that I didn't want a party..." he glared playfully at the Arch-Mage as the small crowd of mages chuckled, "You all still worked so hard to make it so amazing and beautiful. And whoever made all this food needs to win an _award_."

There was a short course of laughter, but Raminus was dead serious. He took a few steps forward, rubbing his hands together as he eyed the table hungrily. Before him lay venison, boar, mudcrab, mutton, and a few things he couldn't place, all cooked to perfection and all equally delicious as far as he was concerned.

"Are you just going to stare at the food or eat some of it?" Aryvis' voice sounded behind him. He could just imagine the crossed arms, that one dark brow raised.

"I'm trying to decide, fetcher."

"Don't use my insults."

Raminus snorted and picked up a plate to begin covering it with food. Aryvis had never seen him eat much more than sweetrolls; he thought the Imperial was a vegetarian. But here he was, piling meat of all sorts onto his plate. He chuckled softly and went to get his own - there was a portion of duck over there that he was dying to reach.

Raminus was gone by the time he was finished, so he headed down to the Praxographical Center. In place of all the alembics on the counters were glasses and mugs, all full of different drinks. He picked up a translucent dark one, swirling the glass in small circles as Borissean walked up behind him.

"I'd tell you what it was, but you can probably tell," the Redguard murmured, approaching the Arch-Mage with his hands in his pockets.

Aryvis took another sniff; "Water Hyacinth Nectar, ginseng, blackberries..." he took a small sip. "Honey and frost salts."

"You forgot the alcohol, but that isn't really an ingredient, is it?"

"Doesn't count," Aryvis smiled, taking another sip. "This is good; you all should make these more often."

"Perhaps Gaspar will."

He took the drink and plate with him outside to see Raminus sitting on the edge of the upper level, munching happily on his stack of meat. He walked up to join the Imperial, dangling his feet over the edge of the banister.

"Here, try this." he handed over the drink and laughed at the dark expression that fell upon Raminus' face when he tasted it.

"What _is _that?" he looked utterly mortified.

"Some concoction Gaspar made. I happen to like it." he made the last part sound offended just to spite the Imperial.

His expression softened but his comment didn't. "You can keep it."

"Very well, I will."

They sat in silence for a bit, eating and just enjoying each other's company, Raminus thanking every birthday wish that came his way from scholars and Associates and apprentices alike. Aryvis was just leaning back, watching a few flecks of ash tumble out of a lantern, when Julienne stepped out of her shop and called his name.

"Cake time," he said before dropping to the ground below. He waited for Raminus to go ahead of him but he took the stairs instead. Right before they entered the door Aryvis reached around the Master-Wizard's head to cover his eyes.

"Oh, come on," he sighed, grabbing his wrists, but Aryvis chuckled and batted his hands away.

"Just open the door."

With a slightly frustrated huff he felt for the handle and pushed the door open. His first step was a little uncertain, so the Arch-Mage guided him forward with his toes to the other's heels. They stopped just short of the table where the cake was, and Aryvis pulled his hands away with the soft murmur of, "Take a look."

Barely a second passed before a wide grin spread across his face. On the table was a sweetcake. A damn _sweetcake_. A damn _gigantic _sweetcake, almost as large as the table itself. And whose idea was it to have this damn gigantic sweetcake at his party?

Screw the gods, he'd be happy to worship Aryvis from now on.

The damn gigantic sweetcake that he was just about salivating over was covered in such a thick coating of honey-like icing that it had its own golden tint to it. And thirty-two conspicuous little pillars of wax - each sporting its own little flame - stuck up from the delicious-looking confectionary masterpiece. He made a silent wish that Aryvis would ignore him every year when he said he didn't want a party and blew out every single one.

When Julienne handed him a large knife to cut it (_probably a dagger_, he thought, but was too excited to care) he immediately pressed the sharp utensil against the golden brown exterior of the sweetcake and sighed happily when it sliced right in, letting out a sweet scent and a small cloud of steam. And when he was leaning against a wall, a (rather large) slice of the cake on his plate, the sigh of utter delight he let out was only slightly exaggerated.

"Is it really that great?" Aryvis asked, eyeing his own slice curiously.

"Definitely."

"Better than mine?"

"Yes."

"That hurts."

Raminus smiled. "You'll live." and ate another fork full, staring straight into the ruby eyes of his lover as he did so.

It took another half an hour to finish with the cake since Raminus went back for seconds. And thirds. And fourths. Aryvis had to physically keep him from getting another. The once gloriously large cake was now only about the size of a shoe.

"Stop going back to the table - you know I'm not above casting a paralyze spell on you - or you won't be able to get to your presents because you're so damn _fat_."

So the two of them (accompanied by a few of the apprentices who were excited to see what Master Raminus' gifts were) left the Lustratorium and made their way to the area of the University where lectures were held. The pile of birthday gifts was enormous; almost as tall as Raminus himself. Among the stack were dozens of books, lots of titles he had never heard of and some he had. His question - would they all fit in the library back at the Spire?

The whole time he was contemplating the amount of bookshelves they had and how many books fit on each and such, he completely missed the fact that Aryvis had gone around to the back of the pile and returned with his hands kept purposefully behind his back. He was still eyeing the pile, trying to guess how many books lay therein, when the Dunmer bumped his hips.

"Hm?" he asked without turning, the numbers in his head running like moving script.

"No, I need you to look," he whined, then recognized the intensity of Raminus' stare and read his mind. "The books will fit _fine_, Raminus, look at me."

When the Imperial turned, curiosity written into his features, the question waiting on his tongue died as Aryvis' lips pressed gently against his own. The kiss was short, just a peck, and he pulled away with the soft murmur of, "Happy birthday."

He brought his hands from behind his back, and therein lay a small wooden jewelry box. Raminus lay his hand carefully across the dark, polished lid, a soft, steady thrum beating against his palm. His thumb hooked under the edge and lifted it open; upon seeing what lay therein he took in a soft gasp.

Inside the box was a gleaming gold amulet, the precious metal shimmering in different shades as the light of the fires reflected against it. It was shaped like the Spelldrinker Amulet he had given Aryvis all those months ago, but instead of the green gems there was a topaz and a sapphire, both cut flawlessly to fit inside the amulet. They had a sort of swirled design to them, as if liquid had been infused in them, and the entire thing had a pulse... Not a physical one, but some kind of soft throb that he could feel with his _magicka_.

In his seventeen years of working as a mage, he had never seen or _felt _an enchantment this strong. "It's amazing."

Aryvis blushed softly, but it wasn't enough for anyone to see. "I'm glad you like it. It took a little while to complete, just because everything was separately tended to."

Now the question he had to know, "How is the enchantment so strong?"

"I did it myself."

Both of them somewhat expected the chorus of gasps and excited murmuring from the apprentices. Even some of the scholars looked astounded. "I'll explain tomorrow," was his ultimatum to such a reaction.

Raminus smiled widely, not really caring about the crowd of astonished mages behind him talking amongst each other in (loud) awe. He was still stuck on the fact that Aryvis had crafted - enchanted - something for him on his own. No altars, no scholars, just him. _By himself_. He had seen an enchantment happen before; they required a large amount of magicka and an immense knowledge of conjuration spells to combine (not to mention an impressive set of lungs - the string of spells was _long _and the shortest breath could ruin it).

And Aryvis had done this just for his birthday.

His arms found their way around his waist, hugging the Dunmer close as he murmured a sincere thank you. His neck grew a shade hotter and Raminus smiled into the soft skin there; he was blushing, even as his arms curved around the small of the Master-Wizard's back and his lips found their way toward an ear. The press was soft and innocent, breath warm and light as he whispered back, "You're welcome."

A moment passed of complete and utter felicity before Aryvis spoke again. "I have one more surprise for you."

He took the Imperial's hand and led him back up the stairs to the place where they had eaten. Once comfortably seated on the stone the Arch-Mage brought his fingers to his mouth and blew out a shrill wolf whistle. There was a moment's delay before something shot into the air, a little ball of white-blue surrounded by an aurora of flame. Aryvis threw a shock spell at the object and it exploded, giving off a loud boom and showering them with small crystals of ice. Raminus gaped, "That... Is it...?"

"Yep," the Dunmer smiled, figuring the question out. He had taken the idea for the impromptu fireworks from Raminus himself, back on the day he'd gotten that _wonderful _massage. The little balls of flaming ice kept going up, bursting in magnificent displays of shimmering colors (some of the ice was frozen from colored liquid) as mages around the University practiced their aim and shock spells. Raminus' eyes were wide with delight, a soft smile on his face and the colors dancing across his skin. They felt the force of each explosion in their chests, and the noise echoed among the walls.

The display ended in a grand finale, an enormous shower of multicolored shards of ice. Raminus clapped like a child, much to Aryvis' amusement, and went on for a few minutes about how _amazing _it was and how he could not _believe _that they had pulled it off with such nonchalance. In all honesty the Arch-Mage was ready to leave; he was quite pleased when Raminus heaved a sigh and said, "Enough. Let's go home."

So they got down from the edge of the wall and headed toward the portal. Raminus, of course, thanked everyone they passed on the way, and Aryvis promised they'd clean up tomor- later today because it was somewhere around two in the morning by now.

"That was actually quite fun," the Master-Wizard said once they appeared on the portal back at the Spire.

"Told you so."

"And now," he paused, looking at Aryvis with an unmistakably heavy gaze, "I have a promise to keep."

An excited shiver ran down the length of his spine.

...

A/N: can anybody say birthday sex? XD


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: so a lot of the first part is kinda vague; it leaves some to the imagination but if you really wanna know what they're talking about you can read the second chapter of _An Endless Sporadic_.

**Nightlight6**: perhaps they are each other's destiny... Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I made sure to describe a lot to make Hoodedmage happy... -_-

Next chapter time!

...

Aryvis let out a pained groan before he even opened his eyes.

Sex was great, but the morning after needed to be wiped from existence. A headache throbbed at the inside of his forehead, the rather abused bruise on the side of his neck still stung, and of course there was the prevalent ache in his bottom. He lifted the sheet draped carelessly over his lower half to see why the sides of his pelvis hurt; there were five purple bruises littered across that side of his hip, probably where Raminus' fingers had been. He turned over to find another set on the opposite side.

Yep, those were from his hands.

Aryvis had gotten him back, of course - there were ten angry red welts scratched into the Master-Wizard's shoulder blades. He was still asleep, his back to the Arch-Mage, who pressed a hand to one set of scratches and began to murmur a healing spell.

"Leave 'em alone," came the drowsy order that stopped Aryvis mid-spell.

"Why?"

"... Haven't seen them yet."

"And you want to see them _why?" _Aryvis' brows drew together in confusion.

Raminus turned over, looking at the Dunmer with sleep-dulled golden eyes. "I think it's cute."

"It's completely beyond me why you would think having lines clawed into your back is cute."

He propped his head up on a hand. "You know why I think it's cute. Or, rather, _why _you were 'clawing lines into my back' is cute."

"No - that was evil, and you know it," he hissed playfully.

"You liked it just fine," he leaned forward to press a kiss against the hickey on Aryvis' neck and laughed when he smacked the Imperial upside the head. "Come, we have to go help clean up at the University."

The Dunmer's entire body shuddered at even the _mention _of getting up and he let out a groan of complaint. Raminus rolled his eyes, "Aryvis, don't be such a baby."

"I'm _not_."

"Then get up."

Another shiver.

"I. Am. Not. Getting -" the last word was cut off in a rather undignified squeak as Raminus found that dip between his fourth and fifth ribs and poked. He slapped the Master-Wizard's hands away and hid under the covers. "_Raminus_, don't make me."

"You do realize that if we hadn't had the party in the first place we wouldn't have to clean up and you could sleep this off, correct?" he asked to the lump under the sheets.

His reply was muffled, "I couldn't have given you the amulet; it was at the University all week... Besides, you liked it."

"Come _on_, Aryvis," Raminus huffed, "We're wasting time."

"But I don't want to."

"You're being childish."

Aryvis pulled the covers back enough to expose one bright red eye. "We've been over this."

"Don't make me pick you up."

The eye narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

A mischievous grin spread across the Master-Wizard's face, the same one from yesterday when he'd yanked the Dunmer into the bathtub, and Aryvis immediately knew he would. His lips barely moved as he whispered a telekinesis spell and the Arch-Mage groaned in despair as a tingly pink aurora surrounded him. When he started rising into the air he clutched at the sheets and the mattress, but it was in vain against Raminus' spell. He was a good three feet over the bed before he stopped struggling and looked at the Imperial in frustrated defeat.

"There," he huffed. "I'm up. Happy?"

"I'm going to put you on your feet, and you're going to put some clothes on. _No complaints_," he added when the Arch-Mage opened his mouth to do so, "We're going to the University. You can sleep all you like when we get back."

"Thank you, Raminus," he said sarcastically, since he really couldn't believe that the Master-Wizard was making _demands_. "You know I could just pull position, right?"

Raminus smirked. "Then you'd still be acting ridiculous; the Arch-Mage needs to be at the University."

Aryvis narrowed his eyes. "You're right too often."

"Love you, too," the Master-Wizard grinned brightly, and turned him so he'd land on his feet. He barely had time to register that before Raminus dropped him and a soft burn shot up his ankles. Grumbling the entire way he began to get ready, and about twenty minutes later he was standing at the wardrobe, pulling the hair above his ears into a horsetail. The rest hung well below his shoulder blades, almost to the small of his back; with a tiny frown he realized that he'd have to cut it soon.

"Good, you're ready," Raminus smiled, and it was all Aryvis could do to keep himself from jumping onto the bed and clutching it for dear life.

The Master-Wizard frowned at the longing look on Aryvis' face before pressing one finger to the center of his forehead, right between his brows. Red eyes met gold in a curious gaze; Raminus mumbled a few words - a watered-down frenzy spell, perfect for keeping one awake and lively for a good few hours. It had been his crutch back as an apprentice; he barely ever slept at all during those months, hopped up on magic as he was... good times.

There was a tiny flare of red from Raminus' finger before the spell sunk in. The Arch-Mage's eyes brightened, his confused expression turning to one of slight excitement, probably at having this new spell cast on him.

"I really could've used that a year ago," he smiled, grabbing Raminus' hand and inspecting it as if the key to the spell were inscribed into his skin.

"I'll teach you," the Master-Wizard promised, "In good time. You know we have things to do."

Aryvis sighed and went outside, letting the cold sink into his bones and wake him a little more before he stepped on the portal to the University.

It wasn't as bad as he'd expected - most of the damage was in the rooms, most likely - but there were quite a few people walking around with dishes and trash bins. Raminus went upstairs while he headed over to the Lustratorium to help Julienne. A large stack of plates, fraught with golden icing, sat on the table where the sweetcake had been, but Julienne was nowhere to be found. So he picked up the stack and opened the door magically, taking the dirty dishes to the Praxographical Center's basement to be washed. When he came outside, wiping previously sticky fingers on a small towel, Alix caught his attention and called him over.

"I was wondering when you would ge-" she broke off as her gaze traveled down to his neck, and a smile crept across her mouth.

Aryvis suddenly felt self-concious and put a hand to the hickey, covering it. He had to fight the urge to wince but kept it there anyway. "Shut up, I know."

"You should; it's _huge,_" she grinned, pulling his hand away so she could stare at it some more. He pulled away, opening his mouth to mention Raminus' back but thought better of it and instead asked her what she wanted.

"Oh, right," he laughed lightly and backed out of his personal space. "Fadril wanted to talk to you. I was going to tell you last night, but you were having so much fun."

"I'll get to it after we're done," he decided, scratching annoyedly at the itchy purple bruise.

"Well, we took care of almost everything before you two got here, so you could leave now if you wanted."

He nodded. "Alright; just tell Raminus that something came up." It was a stupid thing to say, but it was all he had at the moment.

Alix just looked at him. "I'll think of something."

"That's probably for the best."

...

It wasn't twenty minutes later that Aryvis found himself climbing down a ladder in a well in Bruma. He nodded a greeting to J'zhirra before making his way to Fadril's room. He knocked twice before opening the door and going inside, and the vampire looked up from a book.

"Aryvis, I'm glad you're here," he smiled, "Should I expect that Alix didn't give details?"

The Arch-Mage was about to answer when he noticed that Fadril's perpetual shadow was gone. He was a pale shade of blue, like a flawless sapphire covered in a thin layer of dust. Somehow that made the ashen red of his eyes make sense. His hair was a bright white, the color some elves are born with instead of the light grey one gets at old age.

"You can stop staring at me now," Aryvis had never noticed it before, but this time he heard the lisp of Fadril speaking while trying to avoid his fangs.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, "I've never seen you without your... ah, shadows."

"Oh," his face showed clarity for a moment, then a fondness that Aryvis knew wasn't for him. "Suleri enchanted my hood. He never told me how he did it, but it comes in handy when I have contracts to fulfill."

The younger mer smiled. "He was more than your best friend, wasn't he?"

"Perhaps," Fadril answered tersely, but something glowed in his pale red eyes as a small smile adorned his lips.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He glanced up from looking at nothing - possibly remembering he and Suleri's good times - and recovered quickly. "Yes, you haven't been here in a while. I have a contract for you."

"Oh," Aryvis' mouth tightened into a flat line. He had thought about this, expected it - of course Fadril would find a way to reach him for another contract, he and Alix saw each other on almost a daily basis. And it had been some time since his last kill. "I... don't exactly need to do contracts anymore."

"Nonsense. I know you're only here for the money, and this one proves to be quite lucrative."

The little greedy voice inside him jumped at that, but he forced himself to ignore it. "I don't want the money."

"That's a lie."

It was.

"You don't want to be an assassin anymore."

Aryvis just looked at him, feeling rather small and incredibly guilty, for a reason unknown to him. So Fadril went on, "Let me guess - you're afraid of what Raminus would think."

At that the Arch-Mage gave a little start and was about to ask how he knew, but the elder mer cut him off, "Alix has a big mouth and word travels fast around here."

Of course.

"But I can see why a hopeless romantic like you would want to keep this from him." he chuckled at Aryvis' annoyed expression. "You don't want to put yourselves at risk anymore, and I'm perfectly fine with that... But Jimsyn and Aerius might not be."

The relief Aryvis had felt for all of two seconds died in a shudder of horror. He had only spoken to Aerius once, at his party at the Spire, and that had been enough to frighten him properly.

"_I am the head of the Dark Brotherhood, and if you hesitate to accomplish anything you've agreed to, I will _not _hesitate to dispose of you," _he'd said. Did that mean he couldn't leave the Brotherhood?

"What's the third tenet?" Fadril asked, his voice cutting into Aryvis' thoughts.

"Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis," he answered automatically, not realizing what he was saying until he finished. "You'd _do _that to me?"

"Of course not!" he looked quite offended at that, "But it doesn't work that way. Aerius has a special connection with the Night Mother; he'll find out soon enough. And when he does, he'll come after you - it's every Listener's job to keep the Brotherhood strong, and get rid of anybody who isn't committed."

"He wants to _kill me_? Just because I don't want to be an assassin anymore?"

All Fadril could do was nod, a somber look on his face. "But he'd hear it faster from Jimsyn, and I'll try to stall him as long as I can. I understand that this is what you want, to leave the Brotherhood behind, but there's not much I can do."

"I understand. Thank you," he smiled and got up from his chair.

"I'm glad to help any of Suleri's family. Just watch out, be careful... and take care who's seen with you."

...

When Aryvis teleported back to the Spire, he planned on going to the University to see if he could catch the tail end of work, but Raminus was already there.

Right behind the door.

With his arms crossed.

Outright _glaring _at him.

Somehow, it just doesn't look right.

"You skipped out on me," the pissed-looking Imperial said, his voice calm and light in contrast to his appearance.

The Arch-Mage felt his well-articulated, pre-planned response to this statement die on his tongue. Instead a jumbled mess of hesitant words came out, "I know, um, something came up..."

"Which is?" one dark gray eyebrow rose questioningly.

Aryvis _really _didn't want to get into this now, he didn't think he was ready to tell Raminus about all that he'd gone through to craft that amulet... So he improvised. "I had to quit this group I used to be in... it isn't very well known, and I was just talking to a friend..."

Raminus watched with amused eyes as Aryvis talked, something akin to unease tensing his voice up. It was fun to make him squirm, when he knew where he'd been all along. He knew he couldn't hold it in anymore, relishing in humor as he was, and finally broke, belting out in sheer mirth while the Arch-Mage just stared at him in confusion.

"I already know where you went," he sighed, catching his breath. "Alix told me."

His eyebrow twitched and a hint of a smile flickered across his lips. "Gods, Raminus, you looked like you were going to kill me."

"Why would I kill you about taking your horse for a ride? She's probably bored by now, with you using the portals all the time."

That sent a shiver of guilt through him; it _had _been a long time since he'd taken Sarethi out for a ride, he'd have to do that sometime...

"_But_," Raminus continued, in a tone or voice that scared Aryvis a little, "You still left the University early. You're in trouble."

And that truly frightened the Arch-Mage. Whenever Raminus made a threat he meant it, and that was a very bad thing. So when the Imperial walked toward him, a somewhat predatory tinge to his smile, he literally backed up.

Into the wall.

With Raminus grinning at him from only a few inches away.

Aryvis opened his mouth to ask what was about to happen when the question was kissed right off of his tongue, lost in a series of mushed-up vowels and consonants with no inflection. He couldn't help thinking that this was an odd deviation from the Master-Wizard's usual 'punishments', which are usually on the more annoying side of things, but he doesn't have much time to contemplate such a thing. The kiss, in actuality, only lasted a moment; it wasn't long before Raminus' face was under the line of his jaw, nose nudging his chin up so he could reach.

The mer's eyes widened as he realized what was going on.

"Gods, _no_," he tried in vain to push the Imperial away, "No more hickeys, dammit!"

A smile spread into his skin. "You know you like it."

He sort of gave up, as it was no use, but still growled, "I'm going to punch you if you bite me."

This, of course, led to a sharp little nip right over his jugular vein. He let out a little sound, one that spread the smile on Raminus' face wider, and more importantly he didn't hit the Master-Wizard. As a matter of fact, he actually lifted his head a little, letting the Imperial's mouth close around the pulsing vein with more ease.

Had he been in a more... present state or mind, Aryvis would've complained about how easily Raminus managed to shut him up. He was whipped, wrapped around the Imperial's finger, and he knew it - but he enjoyed it all the same.

And he completely forgot about his conversation with Fadril not a half an hour earlier.

...

A/N: yes, I know, shortness, but I wanted to end here. And *gasp* an update that actually happened within a month! I'm proud of myself for that.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: you guys have no idea how much I've looked forward to this chapter :D

...

Aryvis knew something was wrong the moment that faint crunch of snow met his ears.

He turned around, eyes narrowed against the cold wind and the wide white horizon, searching for what could've made that sound. There was nothing, though- just snow, a few scattered rocks and the entrance to a cave he'd passed a little while ago. The area around Frostcrag Spire was pretty empty, at least in the directon away from Bruma, where he was walking just because he wanted something to do. It was Sundas, the one day he didn't teach at the University, but Raminus was there doing something or other. He scanned the area again, decided that it was an animal or something, and turned back to begin walking again.

And that's when an arrow buried itself right in the back of his left knee.

He barked out a curse, pain slicing around the bone and up his thigh as he fell. It hurt like all hell when he started to pull the arrow out and once the offending silver projectile was removed- since it didn't exactly occur to him that someone had _shot _him- he murmured a healing spell. Bright blue light swirled around his wrists, the physical manifestation of his magicka, and it had just barely made it past his fingers before it crackled and turned green, fading into nothing.

Oh, shit.

A wave of panic swept through him, raw and colder than the snow under his knees, because he'd never been _silenced _before. Never had he felt such a dissociation with the magic that had been part of his very being from birth; it just felt _wrong_, like a part of him had just been cut out, as tangible and devastating as a limb (maybe even more so). This is what scared him, the fact that he was cut off from his most powerful weapon, that he had a hole in his knee and couldn't fix it, that he really couldn't fight necromancers silenced, wounded and without his dagger or bow and _hey_, necromancers don't usually use arrows-

"Good night, Arch-Mage."

He barely registered these words before another shard of pain shot down his back from a point right below his left shoulder blade. At the same time every ounce of strength left him and he fell forward as the white world turned black.

...

When he woke again it was only halfway; his vision was fuzzy and his hearing unfocused. He found himself still on his knees, but his robe was gone, leaving him in only a pair of breeches and there were cold, hard restraints around his wrists, holding him back against what he figured was the wall. There were three voices, he couldn't tell how far away, all sounding male and low. He didn't say anything, didn't want to be caught awake, and just tried to focus his hearing enough to make out their conversation.

"...ob, Domitius," one said, and it seemed like he'd heard that voice before. "You brought him back quite quickly."

"I didn't know he had it in him," the next man's voice was low, almost a growl. "But I agree. Good work."

"Thank you, Listener," the third piped up between the two, and after the second complement he went on, "I'm Aerius' Silencer for a _reason_, Lucien. Have a little faith in me."

_Talos, __damn __it_.

Aerius? _Listener? _He was _screwed_, royally so. It wasn't that he hadn't taken Fadril seriously when they had spoken a few days prior, but he didn't know he'd be jumped in the middle of County Bruma by Aerius' Silencer. What was a Silencer, anyway?

As his vision swam closer to focus he noticed his surroundings more clearly. He was chained to a wall, as he had suspected, one that looked like the inside or a fort. In fact, the entire place looked like a fort, just formatted to be lived in- there was a bed close to a far wall, with a wardrobe and dresser, a ladder that led up into the ceiling (how odd...) a table set with alchemy equipment, a coffin next to that (he really hoped that wasn't for what he thought), all along the wall adjacent to him, and beside him was a barrel. The three men speaking were around the bed area- one in a black robe reclining on the bed, looking up at the other two with his hands folded behind his hooded head; the other robed and hooded one standing beside him; and one leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked younger, with brown hair pulled into a horsetail and wearing the Shrouded Armor Aryvis himself had only worn once. The Arch-Mage supposed he was the 'Silencer'.

That's when the standing robed man noticed him.

"He's awake," he growled, identifying himself as the one called Lucien. Interesting, his name sounded Breton but his voice rang Imperial... not that _that _was what held his attention at the moment.

The one laying back sat up and fixed him with a glowering red stare, and Aryvis instantly identified him as Aerius, the vampire Listener who had warned him about trying to leave the Brotherhood at his house-warming party.

"Oh, joy," the brown-haired one- Domitius?- grinned, revealing a pair of gleaming white fangs. Talos, was _everyone _in the Brotherhood a vampire? "And perfect timing, too- I was just starting to get thirsty."

"Wait, Domitius," the Listener murmured, holding his hand out to emphasize his point. "He isn't even coherent, look at him. I want him awake when we do this."

"This should wake him," Lucien growled, tossing Aerius a pink vial. Aryvis wasn't looking forward to drinking whatever it was.

However he wasn't given much choice when Aerius grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back. The rough gesture reminded him of the pain in his side from the arrow wound; he had been healed, but it was mediocre, nothing like how Raminus would've done. At his cry of pain the Listener poured whatever was in it down his throat; what he could taste was light, slightly sweet and tasting of fruit. The Arch-Mage recognized it- a restore fatigue potion? That must mean the arrow that knocked him out had a drain fatigue enchantment... No arrow that had simply been poisoned could render anyone unconscious that quickly.

The Listener stepped back to watch as the potion took its effect. Aryvis' senses came rushing back to him, his hearing and sight snapping into place so quickly it hurt. But he realized that he was still missing something- his magic was still gone.

"Glad you're up," Aerius said, almost conversationally, "We were hoping to tell you a few things before you died."

The Arch-Mage cringed a little.

"As I recall, there was a party at a large castle in County Bruma a few months ago," he went on. "I was only there for a short time- Jimsyn was enough to keep an eye on you- but in that short time, what did I tell you not to do?"

Aryvis swallowed. He had no wish to answer, but somehow it managed to come out, "Hesitate to accomplish anything I agreed to."

"And, now that you've done exactly that, I must hold up my end of the bargain." he paused for a moment, expression growing pensive. "Although, I do want to know why you would do such a stupid thing, when you knew death awaited your decision."

"I know why," Lucien got up and approached them; beneath the shadow of his hood, all Aryvis could make out was a pair of dark brown eyes. "He has a lover. The Brotherhood was too much of a risk for him; he didn't want him to know about it."

The brown-eyed man leaned closer, only a few inches from Aryvis' face, "What a shame, knowing that you'll never see him again. I hope he'll miss you."

At the mention of Raminus Aryvis narrowed his eyes. He didn't care if they harassed him while he was captive, but the Master-Wizard was _not _to be brought into it.

So he spit in Lucien's face.

It was pretty much all he could do, chained and silenced as he was, but it got the point across rather well.

Lucien just looked at him for about three milliseconds before two things happened- the assassin's hand flew up and back across his cheek with incredible speed, and Aryvis' head snapped to the side, a loud crack filling the room as pain flew up the side of the Dunmer's face. He let out a slow sigh through his nose, clenching his teeth to will the hot sting away. He could _feel _his cheek growing purple.

Lucien wiped his face off with the edge of his sleeve, and turned back to Aerius and Domitius. "Kill him."

"With pleasure," Domitius growled, and while it didn't sound anything like Lucien's deep voice it was frightening all the same. He bumped himself off the wall, unsheathing the silver dagger at his hip and twirling it around his fingers. Aerius, who was still standing beside Aryvis, drew a katana from absolutely _no-damn-where _and sliced right through the chains holding his arms up. His entire body fell forward and he barely saved himself form hitting the floor face-first.

It took a little effort to stand- he must've been on his knees for hours- and just as he found his balance a steel dagger was thrust into his arms. Aerius walked over to the bed and sat next to Lucien. "Make it entertaining. Go."

...

Raminus sighed, pulling his robe off and draping it over the lid of his chest before falling back on the bed, a frown settling upon his face. Where was Aryvis?

It was almost midnight when he came back to the Spire; he was helping Tar-Meena shelve a new collection of books from the Summerset Isles and it had taken a long time. He knew that the Arch-Mage didn't teach on Sundas' so he wasn't at the University, and he'd checked all the rooms here, so he wasn't at home. In all honesty, he really didn't feel like going portal-hopping to see if the Dunmer was at one of the other guilds. He'd be home when he was finished doing whatever he was doing.

...

Domitius dropped down low, spinning around to kick the Arch-Mage's legs out from under him.

Aryvis didn't even know what had happened before he was falling, and a bark of pain forced its way out of his lungs when he landed on his wounded side.

That is to say, the side that was shot, since every other surface of his body was battered and bloody and _tired _since he started the fight with Domitius. There were cuts everywhere on him, some shallow but long, others deep and shorter; if he was trying to wear Aryvis down by having him bleed out it was working. He couldn't even feel them separately anymore- it was all one full-body sting with an underlying ache from when he'd been punched a few times- and his body felt wet with the blood and sweat coating his skin. On top of that he was scared, completely _terrified _because all his fights had been quick ones and he'd never felt such pain before. He'd always been able to heal himself before it got to this point; black spots danced in his vision and his hearing went blurry again. Without his magic he was a relatively helpless mer, muscles or no, and he couldn't help feeling that it _wasn't __fair_...

And then Domitius' face was too close, and he winced at the sting of the Silencer's tongue swiping down the length of a cut on his cheek. "Mm, I can't _wait _until the rest of this blood is mine."

"Domitius," a voice called from the other side of the room; Aryvis was too out of it to look but knew it was Lucien. "He belongs to Sithis; he isn't yours to eat."

The youngest Imperial made an annoyed sort of sound. "Do you want me to finish him off, then?"

Despite himself the Arch-Mage flinched, and the tip of the dagger began to press between two of his ribs.

"No, give him time to regret his decision," that was Aerius, "Leave him to Sithis. The Wrath can take care of him."

"If you say so," Domitius mumbled. With a little sigh he brought the dagger up to his lips and drew his tongue up the bloody length of the blade, let out a little hum and smiled. "I'm leaving. I need a drink."

He stood and went over to the ladder, moving so fast that he was halfway up when Aerius agreed. He stopped and looked down, hanging by one arm. The Listener smirked; "Well? Move your ass, I need to eat too."

Then Lucien stood up as well. "I might as well speak to Emilia; she should be up by now."

"You're going to let him die in your house?" this time it was Aerius hanging down the ladder.

"What do you think my Guardians are for? I use them like servants when I'm here."

"Fair enough."

And they were gone.

Aryvis lay still for a few moments, listening hard for any indication that they were returning, but couldn't hear anything past the loud thumping of his heart except the rhythmic creaking of a skeleton's bones. He didn't care why he heard that, there was only one thing on his mind- that alchemy set. If he could make a potion- or, better yet, find one- over there, he might be able to get back to Raminus before he passed out from blood loss.

So slowly, carefully, with a good amount of difficulty, he began to get up. His skin and muscles stung and his bones protested and by the time he had gotten up to one knee his vision was starting to tilt to the left and that _really _wasn't good and _Gods, _please _don't __let __me __die __without __saying __goodbye __to __all __the __mages __and __Alix __and __Fadril __and __I __have __to __talk __to __Raminus__, __tell __him __what __all __this __was __for __because __he __deser__ves __to __know __and __I __need __to __kiss __him __one __more __ti-__-_

**No.**

He wasn't going to just sit there and worry about who he never got to say his goodbyes to because he _wasn't __going __to __die_. Not today. He was going to get up and go over to that table, find or make a potion and get out of there. Aerius made a mistake when he let the Arch-Mage loose. So, with fire in his eyes and a new furrow in his brow he forced his body to cooperate when he commanded it to stand. He was dizzy for a few seconds afterwards, head filling with fog, but he rubbed it away and walked over to the table, each step difficult and a tad sluggish.

There were three little vials on the table; he didn't even pay attention to the two green ones since they wouldn't help him but the one pink one he picked up and squinted at its label. When he made out 'fortify luck' he let out a little annoyed (slightly distressed) sigh but drank it anyway, a little luck wouldn't hurt. But there were no others on the table and the only ingredients in here were nightshade and a heart that looked vaguely human... wait, what's that?

The tiniest sliver of pink was visible between the wall and coffin. Aryvis leaned forward to inspect it; a potion was back there, it probably fell from the table of alchemy apparati (apparatuses?) and lay there, forgotten. With a hopeful lump in his throat he reached for it and pulled it out, squinting at the label once again...

_Minor Rest alth_

The side must have gotten scratched out or worn off, but he knew the words when he saw them. If he hadn't been wounded and silenced he could've done a little dance, he was so happy, he was going to live! Instead he clasped the little pink bottle to his chest and sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Gods. Luck, indeed...

He tossed the potion back like a shot of alcohol and shivered as the cool liquid tingled down his throat and spread through his entire body. It was a minor potion, so the effect was weak, but it was all he had. His lacerations shrank a little; the wounds would probably still bleed but not as much. The arrow holes in the back of his knee and on his side grew smaller as well, but he'd still be better off with a thorough magical healing.

His heart fluttered as he pulled himself- rather painfully, he might add- up the ladder to the hatch in the ceiling. He was getting out of here, he could go back to the Spire, fall asleep in Raminus' lap to the gentle touch of the Master-Wizard's fingers...

Oh, yes. He couldn't _wait_.

When he pushed the heavy metal hatch open, the orange-pink glow of dawn stung his light deprived eyes. Aerius and company would probably be back soon, no doubt. He needed to get moving.

He hoped the potion would last.

...

Raminus was awakened by the loud, grating sound of the door being pushed open very, very slowly, as if the one opening the door had no strength. The light streaming in through the open arch was the golden orange of just-after dawn, and the mer standing there was the cause of his sharp intake of breath.

Aryvis was leaning up against the door, right hand wrapped around the front of his body, probably keeping pressure on a spot on his side. His posture just oozed weariness, and it made sense- his body was almost purple with the amount of blood spread over his blue skin. Raminus was surprised he could stand on his own; where he wasn't purple he was bright red, the long slashes ripping across the Dunmer's arms and torso. They crossed each other multiple times, there were so many.

Of course he took all this in within the space of about three seconds, because by that time he was up and out of bed and at the Arch-Mage's side.

Said Arch-Mage smiled at him drowsily, relief coloring his tone when he sighed, "_Raminus_."

Raminus was at a loss for words, "My... my _Gods_, Aryvis, what on _Mundus __happened _to you?"

"Later," the Dunmer shook his head, "Long story."

"If you say so... Why didn't you heal yourself?"

Aryvis didn't answer, just spoke the words for a healing spell and watched sadly as his normally bright blue magicka turned that sickly green color, crackling like fire and dissipating. Raminus frowned, "Oh. Well let's get you cleaned up and healed."

"What about my magic?"

"After."

"But-"

The Master-Wizard cut him off, "You know just as well as I do that casting a dispel on you could make it worse." he hated to sound so insensitive, he'd want his magic back quickly, too, but he wouldn't hurt Aryvis in the process.

With a sigh the Dunmer nodded and began limping toward the portal. He'd barely made three steps before his skin started to prickle and he was surrounded by a pink glow. Raminus' telekinesis spell lifted him up gently, taking the strain off of his wounded knee, and set him down on the portal the same way.

Not ten minutes later he was sitting against the edge of the tub in waist-high water, warm against his abused skin and already slightly pink with blood. A few bubbles crowned the surface of the water here and there, betraying the presence of bath soap. He didn't know which one it was, though. Raminus was sitting behind him, the sleeves of his tan linen shirt pushed up to his elbows, soaking a cloth in the water before dabbing it against Aryvis' shoulder.

The Arch-Mage hissed and arched away from the hot sting pressing into his bare flesh; Raminus placed a hand on an undamaged part of his bicep, a silent command to be still. Aryvis tried but still flinched at every brush of the rag against his cuts. "Raminus, it _hurts_."

"I know, I'm sorry," he mumbled, "But the sooner I get this done the sooner you get healed and get your magic back."

"_I __know_," he ground out through his teeth, nails biting into his knees because Gods dammit, it _hurt_. Then Raminus was inspecting the arrow wound on his side; a growl ripped out of his chest, dark and pained, and he moved his hands to the edge of the tub because he was afraid he'd break his kneecaps. The Master-Wizard behind him let out a soft apology and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, his strokes softening a little.

"Did he _stab _you?" the question came out of nowhere, but soon after a slight sting traveled up the length of his spine from a spot just above his right hip.

Aryvis lifted his arm to look at it; "A few times, yes."

"You're taking this awfully well."

"I panicked already."

By the time Raminus had finished cleaning the Arch-Mage's cuts, front and back, he had begun doubting the decision to tell the Imperial every part of his kidnapping. The notion of leaving out the assassin part crossed his mind, but he knew that he wouldn't buy it. But, on the other hand, who knew how Raminus would react? Would he shun Aryvis for killing innocent people, be angry and leave him, feel a tad flattered because it was all for-

"Aryvis," Raminus shook him, breaking out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"I was warning you, the healing's going to hurt at first."

"Oh," he waved it off, "Go ahead, I can handle it."

"Alright," he said, and instead of saying the string of words Aryvis expected he leaned away for a moment; the Dunmer really didn't care enough to look but lost all coherent thought when some cold, wet paste was pressed into the deep cut right below his collarbone. He sighed, looking down as if he could even see it, and relaxed just a little right before this searing burn began there, enticing his bark of surprise.

Raminus chuckled a little- the fetcher- and spread more of the painful salve elsewhere. "I warned you. It'll feel better when I use magic, but the deeper ones need this so they'll heal inside as well as out. Either way, you'll have scars..."

"I'll live."

So the Master-Wizard plastered more of that burning paste in other places; Aryvis clenched his jaw and endured it but didn't say anything because, really, it wasn't anywhere near what he'd felt not two hours prior. When it was over he was relieved, though, and smiled as Raminus murmured those words...

That familiar soft tingle began in the tops of his shoulders, along with the slight press of Raminus' hands. His fingers and palms ran the length of his wounds; the sensation of each cut patching together, stitching seamlessly under a new layer of skin and scar tissue, made Aryvis shiver. Raminus was careful in his healing- he made sure each one was completely sealed before moving onto the next.

All the ones on his back were taken care of in a matter or minutes. The Master-Wizard ran his thumb down the length of Aryvis' spine, magic still going strong, and smiled at the Dunmer's full-on shudder. He leaned forward, lips pressing against his lover's shoulder as his hands went around to the front; the lean muscles of his chest twitched at the first contact but he let out a soft sigh and relaxed into the touch.

"I think that's everything," Raminus murmured into his skin after healing every open slash and stab on his stomach and arms.

"_No_, keep going, it feels so _good_," Aryvis whined, a lazy smile spreading across his face.

"There's nothing left to heal, except for that," he pressed a soft kiss to the cut on the Dunmer's cheek and held it for a moment before letting the spell drop. "Besides, don't you want your magic back?"

"Definitely."

And he practically leaped out of the tub, drying his upper half with a towel and wrapping it around the lower. The word to drain the pinkish water left his lips before he stepped on the portal back to the living quarters. By the time Raminus caught up he was sitting cross-legged on the Master-Wizard's bed, just about bouncing with anticipation. With a soft chuckle he moved to stand in from of the Dunmer.

"Come _on_," Aryvis whined, bouncing again for emphasis, "I'm healed and clean, give it back."

"You are so impatient," Raminus smiled and leaned in to meet his lips in a kiss. It was in no way soft, sweet like he usually kissed the Arch-Mage; this one was hard and biting, full of the worry and anxiety he'd felt all the previous day and the hours it had taken him to fall asleep. Aryvis had to lean back a little, supporting himself with the arm he'd had to move behind him while trying to stay coherent as Raminus nipped at his bottom lip. He couldn't quite bring himself to be happy when the other pulled away.

"_Magickaya __lemha __shanta_," The Arch-Mage wasn't sure if he was supposed to understand that or not at first, but soon realized what was going on and his stomach did a little flip. "_Cano __sou __balais __ald'ald-het_."

The Master-Wizard pressed his hand to Aryvis' forehead, blue magicka glowing around his palm, and he flinched, hard. Something like fire rushed from Raminus' hand to the back of his skull, flowing down his spine and spreading through his veins. It burned, but in an _amazingly_good way, and raised goosebumps all over him. His fingers clenched tightly in the sheets as a stopper deep within him opened, and magicka flooded his senses.

Raminus smiled as a moan of what only could've been pure bliss escaped the Arch-Mage. He twitched again, like some unseen force had taken hold of his body and shook him _hard_, and as he gripped the sheets tighter a few odd crackles of lightning permeated the air around him.

"Oh, _yes_," he hissed, opening his eyes. Raminus gladly stepped out of his way when he got up and moved to the door, pulling it open and walking out onto the balcony. He looked good out there, bathed in sunlight and sparking with a surplus amount of magicka. With a short string of words there were two concentrations of lightning in his hands, each crackling and swirling in a huge cloud of pure magicka. He brought his hands together and shot them as one into the sky, a gigantic, writhing mass of lightning that shot off so hard that Aryvis skidded back a few inches. He looked down at his hands as little ripples or shock magic twisted up his arms and grinned widely.

"I missed it _so __much_."

"I know," the Master-Wizard smiled, beckoning him back in the house and smiling wider when he yawned. "You need to sleep."

"'M not tired."

"The fact that you just said "'M" proves otherwise. You're magically hyperactive, but you haven't slept all night, correct?"

He sighed. "Right."

"Right." Raminus smirked, he loved being right. "Go to bed, I won't go to the University today."

"You don't have to watch me, I won't get kidnapped again."

"But you might reopen something, and Talos knows I heal better than you do."

Aryvis frowned. "Fine."

...

A/M: and thus ends the first part of chapter eleven. I was going to do all of it in one chapter but gosh, it just seemed like a lot of words... It was already 4680 words, my fingers are tired...

Oh yeah, so that spell that Raminus said was just a jumble of Ayeleid words I got off of Loranna's RP chart thingy. They translate to something like "your magicka returns to you, herald your powers too long gone" or something like that. I can't remember it now.

Dawn out.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: yesh, part two! XD can't wait for this, I love this and next chapter with a freaking passion. Little bit... Lots... of angst coming, it's gonna be great!

Btw, SKYRIM IS SEXY AS SHIT!

...

Raminus smiled when Aryvis' breathing evened out and the soft snoring began.

He had been afraid the Dunmer wouldn't get to sleep, with whatever had happened to him, but here he was, laying on his stomach with the covers yanked up around his hips, fresh scars sticking out in dark lines on his back. His hair was flung out behind his head in a long cloud of black; the Master-Wizard couldn't help it, he ran his fingers through the raven locks, long digits catching briefly on little knots. Aryvis took in a soft breath and a little smile spread across his face.

Raminus sat on his bed and opened a book, one he'd randomly picked off the shelf to the side. A page and a paragraph went by before he heard a long, loud sigh that seemed to echo about the room; at first he wrote it off as Aryvis, but he _had_ to look up, just to appease his curiosity...

Oh, by the _Nine_.

...

A wave of cold air hit Aryvis' bare back just after he'd fallen asleep, pulling him out of the soothing abyss and back to that frustrating half-awake state. He frowned, not even opening his eyes, and grumbled out something along the lines of, "Close the _door,_ Raminus..."

But nothing happened, nobody moved.

And something was... _breathing_, really loud...

So with a slight growl he sat up, thoroughly pissed because he was _so_ _close_ to getting some rest, and he was looking straight into the face of a wraith.

It was safe to say the Arch-Mage _shrieked_, scrambling backwards off the bed and letting out a string of curses that may or may not have invoked a few gods and goddesses. Raminus, however, was a bit frozen in shock; what was this _thing_ doing in their house? And, if it was possible, his eyes widened a little bit more when it opened its huge mouth and _spoke,_ "I'm disappointed in you, Dunmer... you showed such promise."

The mer in question let out some sound between a sigh and a whimper. "I don't... I - I _can't_-"

"No matter... your death is come."

Aryvis' eyes narrowed and he growled; honestly, how many things were going to try to kill him today? This was ridiculous, he'd survived his ordeal with the Listener and company, the Wrath of Sithis would be no different. 'Your death is come' his _ass_.

So when the Wrath swung his sword down on the Dunmer he had just enough time to reach over and grab his dagger block the blow. He spun around, standing in the process, and caught a glimpse of Raminus' awe-struck expression - a shard of guilt rammed its way into his heart - and he thrust the small elven weapon up into where the Wraith's belly should have been.

And it started laughing.

"Foolish mortal, you should know this by now," the Wrath chortled, "Normal weapons can't hurt me, you'd be better off with your magic. Then again, I could just silence you again, and you wouldn't like that, would you?"

Aryvis expected that his expression was somewhere between frightened and enraged.

The Wrath grinned. "I expected as much. Don't be stupid."

With the hand that wasn't armed, the wraith reached out and scratched Aryvis with the force of a punch that made him stagger back a few steps and fall on his ass. The cuts were so cold it burned, and he barely had enough time to growl out a curse before a wave of cold consumed his entire body. The freezing temperature bit into his skin, digging so deep that his insides felt it, and all he could do was curl up into a ball on the floor and _shiver._

This broke Raminus out of his shock; his worried golden eyes flickered between the wraith and his freezing lover before they narrowed under a furrowed brow. A spell slipped from his lips and before he knew it the wraith was on fire. It let out a shriek but the flames were gone soon, and it turned to the Master-Wizard with a frown.

"This is not your battle, mage." It rumbled, unamused, and Raminus had only blinked before a silence spell was hitting him in the chest. He fell backwards off the bed, landing hard on his back, and he groaned as he felt the magicka drain from his fingers. His hands felt so... _empty_. Not three seconds after he felt the effects of some other spell, though; his hands fell limply to his sides and decided from then on not to move. The rest of his body did the same.

"Leave him be," Aryvis growled darkly, having gotten over his period of cold. "This doesn't concern him."

"If he chooses to intervene, so be it. I have no qualms about killing your lover. You'll meet in the Void, anyway. What say you about it?"

"I say he is _not_ to be _harmed_," the Arch-Mage repeated, voice dropping even lower as he stood to meet the Wrath's black eyes. He was certain of two things - one, he was _not_ going to die today, and two, Raminus wasn't either. The Wrath would just have to understand that; it wasn't an option.

But, somehow, it found that incredibly funny... "You've got gall, Dunmer, I'll give you that. It won't help you in the end though, and your end is _now!"_

The Wrath forsook his long sword and took Aryvis by the neck, casting a strong frost spell that weaved its way into his body. He began to tremble almost immediately, his joints and muscles and very _bones_ violently protesting the inhuman amount of cold he was forced to endure, but _no_, this needed to end _now._ So his hands were around the Wrath's neck as well, teeth chattering around a spell. Waves of fire flowed throughout the wraith's ethereal body, much like the cold winding around the Arch-Mage's limbs, but the creature didn't relent. Instead it grinned and cast stronger, forcing Aryvis' to stop casting for a moment to grit his teeth.

"You think you can best me, _boy_," it growled, "I've lived so much longer, killed so many before you. You are _no_ _different._"

"I'm _v-very_ d-d-different," he chattered, "I w-won't l-let you h-h-hurt R-Ram-Raminus, and I-I'm n-n-not d-dying eith-ther."

"Your logic is flawed."

Instead of stuttering through another reply he stuttered through another spell, changing his tactic to lightning because that was his forte. The bluish-white bolts cut through the translucent creature like its natural relative, wild and untamed. "M-M-My log-gic is-s _sound_."

The combined flames and lightning seemed to be working; the Wrath was beginning to ripple and fade, and green smoke was rising out of his body. But Its spell was wearing down on him as well - his entire body was shaking, the continuous spell's words coming out in multiple syllables. His bones felt like they were going to crack from the cold and his lids were becoming heavy... he wanted to _sleep..._

No, no he couldn't.

The Wrath would be out of their house. He'd explain the entire situation to Raminus, beg for the Master-Wizard's forgiveness, and submit himself to a few rounds of glorious punishment-sex. Yep, that sounded just about right... But first he had to get rid of this wraith that had its hands wrapped around his neck. His magicka would be exhausted soon; he had enough for a pretty strong spell, but then he'd be over. So out came another string of words, bitten through at odd intervals by his shivering, but the words were spoken well enough...

And he cast a full-on _Electrocution_.

The room went entirely white, so much so that Aryvis had to shut his eyes tight against the glare. The wraith between his fingers wailed, shuddering, and a cloud of something awful shot into the Arch-Mage's face. He was still trying to blink the black spots from his eyes, cough that death-stench from his lungs, when the Wrath dissipated into a pile of ectoplasm.

Aryvis sank to his knees, gasping in large gulps of air, trying to still the shivers still wracking his frame. Once they settled a little - just a little - he wrapped the cover from the bed around his body and shuffled around to Raminus.

"Are you alright?" he asked, voice hoarse and low once his teeth stopped clicking together. The Master-Wizard's eyes turned his way, but nothing else; Aryvis got it and looked around for a potion of dispel because his magicka was _gone_. He reached for the one on the bookshelf in front of him.

When Raminus finally sat up, magicka thrumming through his veins once more, he barely had time to take a breath before the Arch-Mage was rambling.

"Raminus, I'm _so_ _sorry_, please don't be angry, I didn't want you to be involved in this at all, it's all my fault, I can't believe -"

The Master-Wizard shut him up with a kiss.

He pulled the Dunmer close, comforter and all, kissing him softly because he could feel the upset coming off of Aryvis in huge waves. He was shaking a little; he could understand why, waking up to a wraith and all, and he just wanted to comfort the mer because he needed it. His hand came up to cup Aryvis' cheek, and he wasn't expecting the blood that lay under his palm.

"It scratched you," he murmured against Aryvis' lips, pulling away just enough to whisper a healing spell and trace his fingers lightly along the scratches. When he saw his lover's sad expression he had to ask, "Why would I be angry about this? None of it was your fault. I'm sorry I didn't help you." There was a silent pause, and then... "Wait, involved in what?"

Aryvis flinched. "It... ah, it came for... me."

_'You __disappoint __me, __Dunmer... __you __showed __such __promise.'_ "... Why?"

With a sigh Aryvis shuffled around a bit, getting comfortable, and told Raminus everything. He began with the murder of that mage in his quest to find Carahil, through his reluctant admittance to the Brotherhood and all the way down to the issues he'd faced when he quit. He mentioned Fadril and his relation to the elder mer, but not Alix; there was no need to get her involved as well. Suleri's name went in there somewhere, and Aryvis' eyes shone with pride when he spoke of his late uncle. Of course he said _why_ he'd even gone to the Brotherhood in the first place, to get the lab and pay for the materials to make the amulet, and that's where Raminus stopped him.

"How many people did you kill." It didn't even come out like a question, and Aryvis _knew _he was in trouble.

"Um, I think it was five... six, including that mage."

"And you never felt any sort of remorse?"

Ouch. "Of course I did!"

Raminus looked at him, like really _looked_ at him, and blew out a long sigh as he stood up and walked around him. "My _Gods._"

"You act like I'm a different person, Raminus."

"I don't know who you are anymore."

This pissed him off a little, because Raminus had no business acting all high and mighty now. He stood up as well, hands folded over his chest. "Well, let me tell you. I'm the same mer you were pining over for months, the same one that kissed you for the first time on that stool," he acknowledged the alchemy lab, "the same one who missed his first Council meeting and was late for the second. I tease you about your love for sweetrolls daily, I wear the bruises you leave on my skin like medals, I clawed those lines in your shoulders. You know exactly where to touch me to make me melt, that I can't sing to save my life, that I snore a little and hog the covers. You've _always_ known who I am. This is the only thing I've kept from you."

"Quite a secret," the Master-Wizard mumbled.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"_Sorry_?" oh, _damn_, he was in trouble. "Aryvis, you _killed_ one of the Guild. She had family in Cheydinhal, friends, all people that will never see her again."

"I _know_, Raminus." his voice was almost pleading now; he felt terrible all over again, and he hated that the Master-Wizard was the one reading him the riot act. "Could you just listen to m -"

"Aryvis, I'm done _listening_." he growled, and the mer in question shrank back a little. "I've been here this entire time, what is it, seven months? Yes, I know what makes you tick, and cringe, and moan and everything else. But don't you think that _maybe_ you could've mentioned that you were a Gods-damned _assassin_?

"I've been here for you; when you killed Fadali and I found you crying on the floor I held you all night, and when I asked what happened you didn't tell me. When you came home this morning looking bloody _horrible_ I asked and yet again, you didn't tell. I didn't push it, either; I just cleaned you up and healed your wounds and sent you to bed. But I deserved to know, why did it take a damn _wraith_ to attack us for you to realize that?"

"I didn't want you to be upset," his voice came out tiny, "Or to get hurt because you were involved with me. Besides, I was saving the money to make your gift."

"What, you mean _this_?" he picked up the amulet from the bookshelf, "I don't know if you knew this, but jewelry isn't worth _five_ lives, Aryvis."

"It was for you, seemed worth it to me."

"Stop glorifying me, I don't want to be your excuse."

"You're not my excuse, you're my reason."

"I don't care, there's quite a few things of yours I don't want to be."

And Aryvis' heart dropped to his feet.

Raminus went over to the side of his bed, pulled on his boots, and went out of the door. The sound of a portal went off not two seconds later.

The amulet was left on his bed.

...

A/N: *tear* :'(


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: this one hurt my feelings a little bit...

...

He tried.

For _three_ _days_.

You could commend him for that.

It was harder than it looked; he _worked_ with the man. So after about four hours he stopped trying to avoid Raminus and started trying to apologize in as many ways as he could. He'd gone through just saying he was sorry to bringing him sweetrolls to hugging him from behind and saying "Forgive me?" in a low purr that he may or may not have used to initiate a quickie a few weeks back... but Raminus was adamant all the same; he did what he needed to do with the mer according to his responsibilities, no more. He'd even pushed the Arch-Mage away at the last one - not a playful little push, but an actual _shove._

He felt like he had failed the Imperial somehow, become unworthy of his affection. Apparently Raminus believed the same - he moved out and everything. Aryvis had spent that entire day curled up on the floor, wrapped in that comforter, staring at the wall in utter disbelief with unnoticed tears streaking his cheeks. He couldn't... _function_, it wasn't _right_, it didn't make any damn sense. How could he just _leave_ him like that...?

He stopped himself when his eyes began to sting. He _wasn't_ getting into this again.

... Which might've failed a bit miserably when Raminus walked up behind him. He turned from the morning glory he was trying to harvest, hands stained a lighter shade of blue with the nectar, and looked up at the Master-Wizard from his kneeling position.

"I was going to give you these," he gestured to the few papers in his hand, "But I'll leave them in the lobby for you."

And he was walking away.

"Raminus, wait," he called, slight desperation in his voice, "Please."

He stopped, but didn't turn to the Arch-Mage.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you," he sighed, turning back to the Dunmer with empathy in his eyes. "I don't think I ever could. But I just can't... _deal_ with what you did, it doesn't... I don't like it. I love you, Aryvis, you know that, but every time I get near you this little voice reminds me that you're a murderer. And I can't... handle it, so I try not to put myself in that situation."

He thought about mentioning that he _wasn't_ a murderer, he was a slayer, but almost instantly realized how bad an idea that was. "Thank you," he sighed, approaching the Imperial and pecking a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, too. And I'm sorry to lose you like this."

...

Two hours later the majority of the University's inhabitants was crowded at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Tower.

Alix stood among that crowd, looking up at the Arch-Mage as he approached the edge of the landing, looking a little worried or upset. She had heard about him leaving the Brotherhood but didn't know if the Listener had caught up to him yet... apparently not, he was standing up there about to speak. But she hoped nothing was wrong...

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Arcane University," oh no, this was going to be all official... she couldn't help but not hear him.

As the Arch-Mage went on, Randui appeared behind the blonde Breton. "What's going on?" the Argonian rasped, his shiny red-and-gold head looking up at Aryvis curiously.

"He's talking about... something, I don't get it yet," she answered.

"It must be important, for him to call us all together," he mused, clawed fingers grasping his chin, "He's usually so much more informal."

"Shut up and listen then," she was only half joking. The Argonian chuckled, but spoke no more and they returned their attention to the Arch-Mage just in time to hear...

"... I hereby resign from the position of Arch-Mage."

A collective gasp ran through the entire crowd, and Master Raminus frowned deeply. Aryvis may not have changed something major like Traven had, but he ran the Guild smoothly, everything was prospering. What on Mundus brought this on?

He continued, unfazed, "And, beginning tomorrow, Master-Wizard Raminus Polus will be filling that vacancy. He's served the Guild faithfully for many years, I have no doubt he'll make a wonderful Arch-Mage."

Master Raminus looked almost pained, "Aryvis, this isn't what I meant..."

"Nonsense," and he smiled a smile that was a little too wry for something _not_ to have gone on between them. "You'll do great. Problem solved."

"No -" but the Arch-Mage was already walking back up to the Lobby. He sighed and came down the stairs, shrugging his way through the crowd and disappearing behind the door of the Lustratorium. The crowd of mages dissipated, murmuring among themselves of Aryvis' resignation. Alix didn't even hear Randui's question; she glanced at the Tower, wondering what could've _possibly_ separated the two of them so thoroughly.

...

Aryvis spent the remainder of the day more or less avoiding Raminus entirely, busying himself with documenting his resignation. He didn't want to hear the Master-Wizard's arguments right now, his mind was made up. He could always find something else to do.

It usually takes weeks to transfer an Arch-Mage - Aryvis would know, he and Raminus had gone through that process already - but he managed to get it done in five hours, or so.

... Except for the part Raminus had to finish.

Oh, joy.

He couldn't leave it for him, it had to be put with all the others before he was gone, and he didn't plan on returning after he left the campus tonight. At some point he _had_ to talk with him again.

So he manned up and asked Alix to go get him.

Raminus was in the Tower's meeting room all of three minutes later. Aryvis pushed a few of the papers across the table at him, a quill and inkpot sitting on the top sheet, but didn't say anything because he really didn't want to initiate conversation. The Master-Wizard just took them, a little frown on his face, and sat down to begin scanning through the paperwork.

"You know this isn't what I meant..." he began, scribbling his signature in one of the blank spaces.

"Doesn't matter." his answer was terse and devoid of emotion.

Screw it. "Aryvis, I don't want you to _quit._"

"Then what _do_ you want?" he hissed, looking at Raminus through narrowed eyes that seemed a little hurt. "You told me you can't stand being near me, but you want me to stay. Make up your damn mind."

"It's not about... _this,_" he gestured between the two of them, "_You_ told me you've dreamed about being Arch-Mage for _years,_ how could you just throw it away?"

"It is about _this._ I'm not staying here, it'll make us both miserable."

"I could've left."

"Why on Mundus would you do that?" he propped his head up on one hand, expression curious and the littlest bit pissed off, "You've been here so much longer than I have, you deserve it."

"Traven gave you the position."

"I don't want it anymore."

"Aryvis, this makes no _sense_," he sighed, getting up and moving to sit next to the soon-to-be-former Arch-Mage. "This means a lot to you."

"What do you want from me, Raminus?" his voice sounded tired as he put his face in his hands.

"I want to know why you would give up your lifelong dream just to appease me."

"You act like I never got it," he breathed out the words, more of a huff than a sigh, and his shoulders slumped forward a little. "I liked being Arch-Mage. It gave me a chance to _breathe_ - while I was an Associate, all I did was run around for Traven, necromancy this, Council of Mages that - and I finally was able to actually know people, form relationships."

Raminus acknowledged the little flinch his shoulders gave with a frown.

"But I'm giving it up because you're _important_ to me, Raminus, I don't want to make you unhappy. What I did was pretty terrible, I understand that, but none of it was for me. Well, I can't say that because it sort of was..." he heaved a sigh and started over. "I needed to impress you."

_What_? "Why?"

"Because you're this amazing Wizard with the best restoration skill I've ever seen and you're so nice and adorable when you're sleeping and I love the way your eyes light up when you laugh and I just don't think I _deserve_ you." he ran his entire hand down his face like he was exasperated with himself, with Raminus, with the situation. "And yeah, sure, I'm Arch-Mage, but that was only because Traven put his soul in that gem to save me from Mannimarco. And I didn't want to rely on that to get your attention, so when I got the Spire from my grandfather I wanted you to come with me.

"But then it was your _birthday_, I _had_ to do something special. I knew I could craft and enchant an amulet, and it would be just... _special_, for you. And I knew you'd love it, and maybe it would actually be worth you."

"Aryvis, you've never had to _earn_ me," he said, holding the Dunmer's face as his brows drew together, "I've always loved you as _you_, the sarcastic dark elf with a predilection for shock magic who may or may not be a bit obsessed with his hair. You forget, I was pining for you first."

With that came a weak smile and Aryvis had to return it.

"I'm going to miss you, Raminus," he sighed, leaning his cheek into one of the Imperial's hands.

"I'll miss you, too."

So instead of saying _'I want you to stay_,' Raminus leaned in and kissed him, lips moving softly against the other's. And instead of saying _'I want to stay with you_,' Aryvis held him close, taking in that last bit of Raminus-ness that he would hold close to his heart forever. The words were loud and clear, practically shouted, but neither heard them.

...

That night, after Aryvis had hugged Alix goodbye and asked her to tell Fadril he was alive, the University campus was quieting down. There was no one out save for the guards at this hour; even the fireflies had turned in.

The former Arch-Mage stepped out of the lobby, looking all around the campus to commit it to memory since he wouldn't be coming back. His hands were shoved deeply into his pockets, the muscle in the small of his back tightened to the point of slight pain, and his ear twitched in the direction of the door when it opened.

"Aryvis," Raminus called, approaching the Dunmer and pulling him into a tight hug, "Good luck."

He couldn't do much with it, as his arms were pinned to his sides, but he smiled and said, "You, too." There was a hot prickly feeling forming behind his eyes and nostrils, and he'd be damned if he started crying now. So when the Mast... _Arch-Mage_ let him go, he continued on his way to the portal for the last time.

Raminus stood there on the grass, hands clasped together behind his back, watching Aryvis go. This was good... right? He'd take over the Arch-Mage's duties, make sure the Guild ran efficiently, see many more Associates grow in their magic as they progressed through the ranks...

But Aryvis wouldn't be there for it.

And it felt _wrong._

Dammit, he _loved_ that crazy mer, how could he just let him go like that? Little voice be damned, why didn't he stop him? Yes, he'd killed people, but Raminus could get over that with a little time, and it was for _him_. But it was too late, he was leaving...

Then Aryvis glanced back at him once more, and Raminus felt a warm flutter rise in his heart, pleased that he was worth a look back.

...

~four months later~

He didn't go peacefully.

They dragged him in there kicking and screaming, silenced and cursing, growling obscenities and how he was going to screw every one of their wives when he broke out of that Sithis-forsaken rat hole. It smelled of dirt and mold and refuse and his heightened senses just observed a general sense of _gloom._ No matter; he'd been in jail before - twelve, almost thirteen years, in fact - and he'd finally get out now that he was back in Cyrodiil. This was the last transfer he'd be going through.

Never the less they tossed his sorry ass into that cell like a common thief, laughing at his threats like he _didn't_ actually mean that he was going to drain the fetcher dry and leave his body for the slaughterfish. Serves him right for being caught by Imperials... he clawed at those oppressing wrist irons, Imperial bastards forgotten in favor of the enchanted restraints that held him away from his magic. Without it he was still a threat, wiry strength evident in his lean muscles, but years of imprisonment and silence had left him a bit... rusty. That isn't to say he couldn't kill the fetchers, of course he could! But it wouldn't be with the lethal efficiency he had possessed before.

His bones ached for a _real_ kill, for the hunt and the adrenaline and the scent of fear and the _blood_ and somebody was staring at him...

"Hey, there! You! Kinsman!"

He looked up and hissed at the cell across from him, at the pair of red eyes that stared back at him from the depths of those shadows.

"I'm not in the mood for conversation." His deep voice echoed around the empty stone hall.

But the moron was undeterred. "I haven't seen another Dunmer in here in I don't know how long. Where you from, huh? Vvardenfell?"

Yes, actually, he was, but the jail rat didn't need to know that.

"You got a wife back home?" at this he snorted, he had someone 'back home,' but it wasn't a wife and Bruma was more his home than anywhere else. "Tell you what. I'm getting out of here in a couple of weeks. When I get back to Morrowind I'll look her up. She must be so lonely."

'She' being the nonexistent wife he had waiting for him in the place he hadn't been to in three, maybe four decades.

"Don't worry, eh? I'll take care of her long after you're dead. Oh, that's right. You're going to die in here!"

Oh, that was it. He felt his lips curl, sliding back to reveal gleaming white fangs. This crazy old mer's ramblings were _really_ starting to annoy him. He sprang up to the bars of the cell.

"You pretentious old bastard," he hissed with ferocious sibilance, "Silence your mouth or I'll do it for you. I have bigger things to worry about than your idiotic nonsense, and I'd rather be allowed some quiet while I think."

"And I'd love to indulge the wishes of a dead mer," came the swift retort, "But it gets so _boring_ down here, there's no one but you and me. So why not get along before they, say, leave your body for the slaughterfish?"

"Oh, screw the guards, I'd drain your blood much sooner."

"Big talk for one caught behind bars, hm?"

Dammit, the s'wit was right. He hung his head, letting his waist-long midnight-hued matted locks fall over his face as he sighed.

"As I thought," the other mer said haughtily, and it took all the willpower in the world not to have him shouting curses at the idiot. But if he thought he'd won, he might _shut __up..._ Fair enough.

But there were footsteps.

And a door opened.

Chainmail, iron boots, swords, shields...

"Hey, do you hear that, Prisoner? The guards are coming... for _you_!" and the other mer laughed this ugly little laugh that he likened to that of a rat as he backed away from the bars.

And, somehow, not for the first time in his life, Suleri Othren knew that this was exactly what he was looking for.

...

A/N: And, now, I'm going to do something extremely evil...

IT'S OVER! XD

I like cliff hangers :3 I think the sequel may come out... when I figure out a plot for it. Review your discontent! C:


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